More Jordanians travel abroad as tourism spending surges 29.4%

AMMAN — The number of Jordanians travelling abroad for tourism purposes increased by 16.5 per cent in January 2025, reaching a total of 159,085, compared to 136,538 in the same month last year.

According to Al Mamlaka TV, earlier reports from the Central Bank of Jordan (CBJ) revealed a sharp increase in spending on outbound tourism, which rose by 29.4 per cent in January 2025 to a total of $184.9 million.

This compares with $142.9 million spent during the same period in 2024.

The CBJ's preliminary data recently showed a "notable" increase in tourism revenue in January 2025, which rose by 22.8 per cent to $680.5 million, compared to $554.2 million in January 2024.

The increase was driven by a 22.7 per cent rise in income from Jordanian expatriates, a 20.2 per cent rise from non-Jordanian Arabs and a 30.7 per cent rise from non-Arab visitors.

In 2024, the Kingdom’s tourism revenue amounted to JD7.239 billion, marking a 2.3 per cent decline compared to 2023, according to CBJ data announced in January.

According to the January data, this decrease was attributed to a 3.9 per cent drop in the number of tourists.

The CBJ data also showed an increase in tourism revenue from Jordanian expatriates by 7.7 per cent and from non-Jordanian Arab tourists by 12 per cent.

In contrast, tourism revenue from European, American and other nationalities declined by 54 per cent, 35.2 per cent, and 15.3 per cent, respectively.