AMMAN — Tourist
companies are again organizing caravan tourism trips to Jordan after a break of
10 years. The first began on December 8, and the assembly point was
Jerash Governorate.
اضافة اعلان
Atef Zeidan,
one of the tour guides accompanying these caravans, told
Jordan News: "Previously, these private caravans with
different European nationalities used to move by land. They used to start their
trip from Europe, then to
Turkey, Syria, and finally to Jordan. Due to the
conditions in some of these countries, which made it difficult for the caravans
to cross land borders, these trips to Jordan were stopped for 10 years."
This year, 35
vehicles were shipped to Jordan through the
port of Aqaba. They were divided
into three groups, each with a different itinerary. One group stayed in the
"golden triangle", Aqaba,
Wadi Rum, and Petra, then continued to
Jerash. A second group started from Aqaba, on to Wadi Rum, Madaba, Azraq, and
Jerash. The third started from Aqaba to Petra, Karak, Dead Sea, and Jerash.
Zeidan added
that governorates such as
Irbid and
Ajloun are visited after they gather in
Jerash, when the groups will be divided again to complete their tours.
"Ten years
ago, these tours took 10 to 12 days, as tourists used to spend days in Syria,
Turkey, and other countries. This year, the tour lasts 18 days, and tourists
get to visit all regions of Jordan," said Zeidan.
The tourists,
he said, were delighted with their trip. They praised the Jordanians’ hospitality;
“they even struck friendships with them and drank tea in their homes,” he said.
Firas
Al-Khatatbeh, director of Jerash Tourism, told
Jordan News that Jerash received 23 caravans and 47 visitors of different
European nationalities at the Jerash Visitors Centre until Sunday noon.
Jerash was
chosen as the gathering point because it "is an important tourist
attraction, and that tourists have visited all the tourist areas in the
governorate so far. Also, its central geographical location has a major role in
giving tourists the opportunity to move freely to neighboring areas," said
Khatatbeh.
He added that giving
these tourists the opportunity to move among the residents of Jerash enables
them to get acquainted with the customs and traditions of the region.
“The direct
interaction creates special memories that make people want to visit again,” he
added.
Khatatbeh also said
that visitors do not perform only historical tourism, but also ecotourism,
medical tourism, adventure tourism, and others. Visiting most areas of Jordan
enables them to enjoy many different activities.
Zeidan said that
there should be more tourism companies specialized in caravan tourism, especially
since such type of tourism is not limited to specific seasons.
“We submitted
requests to the
Ministry of Tourism, and then to the
Ministry of Interior and the
General Intelligence Department. Our request to allocate different places as
parking spaces for these vehicles was met favorably. We also witnessed greater
regulation in the entry of caravans to the port of Aqaba and faster
verification of passports and license plates,” he said.
Ministry of
Tourism Media Spokesman Ahmed Al-Rifai told
Jordan News that caravan tourism is
widespread in European countries, and that while Jordan used to receive this
type of tourists 10 years ago, that stopped during the Arab Spring, but “this
year we are back receiving these tours".
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