AMMAN —
Minister of Tourism Nayef Al-Fayez told the
Lower House Finance Committee that recent international travel restrictions due
to the emergence of the new Coronavirus variant have led to the cancelation of
trips to Jordan, according to Al-Mamlaka TV.
اضافة اعلان
Until November this year, a total of 2.1 million tourists
visited the Kingdom, with an expected revenue by year end amounting to JD1.85
billion, having reached JD1.7 billion from January until November 2021,
according to the minister.
The tourism sector has seen a gradual recovery in early 2021
with an accelerating increase in June, notably in the number of visiting Arab
tourists, said Fayez.
Deputy Governor of the
Central Bank of Jordan Adel Sharkas,
meanwhile, said he expected tourism revenue to reach approximately $4 billion
by the end of 2021, with an expected increase of 81.6 percent compared to 2020.
Sharkas also said that tourism revenue will provide about
$3.5-4 billion in foreign currencies.
On December 12, the Cabinet approved the national strategy
for tourism for the years 2021-2025, aimed at enabling the tourism industry in
Jordan to recover from the repercussions of COVID-19.
Thousands lose their jobs in hospitality industry since the
start of pandemic
Another adverse effect of
COVID-19 touched workers and
professionals in the hospitality sector, according to head of
Jordan Hotels Association Abdul Hakim Al-Hindi, who said that about 5,500 workers lost their
jobs in hotels operating in the Kingdom since the start of COVID-19 pandemic to
date, attributing it to the decrease in the number of reservations, lockdowns,
closures, and various health procedures and protocols, according to Al-Rai.
Hindi said that the number of workers in hotels in different
regions of the Kingdom amounted to around 25,000 in 2019, while now the number
stands at 19,500.
He said that the “Istidama” program that the government
implemented in cooperation with the Social Security Corporation contributed to
alleviating the consequences of the pandemic on the sector and lowering the
number of those who lost their jobs, adding that the current situation and the
decline in and cancellation of reservations by foreign and Arab tourist groups,
which reached 90 percent before the New Year, affected the sector badly.
Hindi stressed that domestic tourism this winter season will
not be able to compensate for the losses resulting from the decline in the
number of foreign tourists to the Kingdom.
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