Tourism prospects promising — Fayez

AMMAN — More than 90 per cent of workers in Jordan’s tourism industry have received the COVID-19 vaccine, according to Minister of Tourism and Antiquities Nayef Al Fayez.

Speaking during a seminar held by the Centre for Defending Freedom of Journalists (CDFJ) and the Media Forum with representatives from the tourism sector on Monday, Fayez indicated that there is a possibility of selling the COVID-19 vaccine or giving it for free to tourists coming to Jordan, pending  excess of available vaccines as the priority is for Jordanian citizens and residents of the Kingdom.

“Providing the vaccine to tourists planning to visit Jordan might be a significant incentive for both tourists and the national economy,” he continued.

“The Jordanian tourism sector has become accustomed to crises, and has been able to offset the negative impacts of the pandemic. The government worked to provide as much support for the sector as possible and within available resources,” Fayez said.

The minister noted that the sustainability programme “Estedama” was one of the most prominent measures taken to help the sector, adding that the programme will be extended until the end of the year.

Fayez said that the epidemiological situation in the Kingdom is considered the base for determining the extent of the return to work in the sector, indicating that the current figures are reassuring.

There has been a noticeable increase in recent months in the number of tourist reservations, which signals the sector’s recovery, according to the minister.

“We expect to return to a scenario that is closest to normal in September, as we are working to restore the situation to what it was in 2019,” Fayez said, noting that tourist figures this year have improved compared to 2020, when tourism revenues were just JD1 billion, compared to 2019’s JD4.1 billion.

He stressed the readiness of tourist facilities and sites to receive visitors.

The minister highlighted the health precautions required to enter the Kingdom, describing them as “some of the best in the world”, they will be applied to visitors arriving from countries where the “Delta variant” is prevalent, requiring them to travel to another country and reside there for 14 days before entering Jordan.

He also indicated that there are 21 countries approved from which Jordan can receive tourists, based on the approved vaccinations.

Tourism in Aqaba and the Dead Sea is flourishing, therefore the “Urdun Jannah” programme will concentrate on boosting other destinations, particularly in the north, according to the minister.

There have been significant achievements in medical tourism, as there are currently Arab and foreign visitors seeking treatment in the Kingdom, with a campaign underway to promote medical tourism in Gulf countries, Fayez added.

Lastly, the minister emphasised the importance of the tourism sector to the national economy, noting that it is the only sector in which investment has not stopped since 2010, even during crises.