Due to the country’s proximity to the war in Gaza, Jordan’s tourism industry has been almost completely dead since October.
While at the beginning of 2023, the Middle Eastern Kingdom saw a 122% increase in tourism spent compared to the previous year, as well as a doubling of visitor numbers to over half a million, even exceeding pre-Covid figures, the nearby war has had a tremendous impact on the sector.
Despite reassurances from the Jordan Tourism Board that the country remained not only safe but also welcoming, the industry has struggled to recover. In the first 5 months of this year visitor numbers were 10% lower than last year, while, at $2.6 billion, revenue stayed 6.5% below 2023 figures.
In Petra specifically, hotel occupancy rates were only 3% in November last year, the month following the break-out of the neighbouring conflict. Ever since, occupancy has remained under or, at times, just slightly over 10%.
Despite the not very encouraging figures, the chief commissioner of Petra’s Development and Tourism Region Authority, Fares Braizat, has announced an investment drive to create 1,400 new hotel rooms in the World Heritage city. Local investors remain confident that the industry will recover soon and place their trust in the authority’s increasing marketing efforts, Braizat told Jordan News Agency.
Complementing the investor’s efforts, the government has set up a Tourism Development and Resilience Fund to provide financial assistance to businesses that have been affected the most. Moreover, marketing initiatives and rent waivers, alongside social security and tax relief measures are being taken to support the industry’s recovery, Braizat explained.
To counterbalance the reduced number of European and North American tourists to the city, the Development and Tourism Region Authority is now eyeing China, Russia, Africa, India, Pakistan, Malaysia, Indonesia, as well as regional Arab markets, with a focus on faith, adventure and medical and wellness tourism, as well as business travel.
It will take a great effort indeed to reach back to the same visitor numbers from the beginning of 2023. From October last year to the end of January this year, 90% of group trips booked through tour operators had been cancelled. The rate rose to 93% for the period from February to end of June. Moreover, 49 cruises to the region have already been cancelled this year, with chances of more cancellations to come. Airlines, including Transavia, Wizz Air, Edelweiss Air, EasyJet and Ryanair, have also stopped operating flights to the country, further damaging the tourism sector and impeding its recovery.
