Amman – Tourism experts unanimously stressed the importance of investing in the spring season in Jordan to encourage domestic and Arab tourism, which would help compensate for the decline in foreign tourism due to the current conditions in the region.
They explained that amid the ongoing war waged by Israel with American support in the region, marketing and promotional campaigns must be intensified to attract Arab tourists, who accounted for nearly half of the total number of tourists, reaching 3.5 million visitors last year. Visitors from Saudi Arabia alone exceeded one million.
The President of the Association of Travel and Tourism Agents, Mahmoud Al-Khasawneh, said that spring tourism contributes to restoring recovery to the tourism sector.
He emphasized the importance of this type of tourism, especially for Gulf tourists who come to the Kingdom to witness Jordan’s “green garment,” in addition to expatriates returning to Jordan.
He pointed out the need to host them through organizing programs and activities that meet their needs, while ensuring that prices remain attractive and affordable.
Al-Khasawneh added, “The Arab market is an important and growing market that must be prioritized, especially under the current regional circumstances that have directly affected the tourism sector, making these markets an alternative to traditional markets that are impacted by any crisis in the region.”
He called on all relevant parties in the tourism sector to provide the best services for visitors from around the world in order to restore the sector’s vitality and strengthen its ability to face challenges, through positive joint efforts in attracting tourists and making use of the spring season to stimulate tourism activity across all facilities.
According to data from the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities, the number of tourism establishments stands at 3,765, including 1,388 tourist restaurants, around 933 hotels of various classifications, 868 tourism and travel offices, 261 tourist car rental offices, 238 oriental handicraft shops, 26 companies specialized in tourist transportation, in addition to around 1,400 specialized tour guides.
The Kingdom received more than 7 million visitors from around the world last year, marking an increase of 15.3% compared to the previous year, when the number of visitors reached 6.1 million.
Tourism revenue also reached approximately $7.8 billion last year, achieving a growth rate of 7.6% compared to 2024.
The Vice President of the Jordan Hotels Association, Hani Al-Dabbas, said that spring tourism is highly popular among Arab visitors to the Kingdom, especially those from the Gulf countries.
He confirmed that Arab visitors, who make up more than half of the Kingdom’s visitors, eagerly await Jordan’s spring season to organize their diverse tourism programs and visit the Kingdom with their families.
He added that this should be properly utilized so that Jordan becomes the gateway for Arab tourism, helping to break the seasonal nature of tourism from which the Kingdom suffers.
He further stated, “Spring tourism is an important goal for Arab visitors, and therefore marketing and promotional campaigns must be launched to encourage visits to the Kingdom and increase visitor numbers as much as possible, in order to compensate the tourism sector for the losses it recently suffered due to the war, which caused major disruption and led to the cancellation of most reservations in many areas of the Kingdom.”
The President of the Jordanian Tour Guides Association, Ayman Omar, said that spring tourism is a promotional advantage that must be utilized to attract visitors to the Kingdom.
He stressed that Arab tourists are among the most interested in this type of tourism, particularly those from Saudi Arabia.
He added that with the decline in inbound tourism due to regional circumstances, new markets must be explored, including Arab and Gulf markets, as well as African countries, to compensate for this decline.
In a related context, an informed tourism source confirmed that promotional and marketing efforts in Arab countries and Gulf Cooperation Council states are currently being intensified to attract visitors during the current period and the summer season.
The source, who preferred to remain anonymous, explained that the ministry, in cooperation with the Tourism Promotion Board, has directed marketing campaigns toward GCC countries, especially Saudi Arabia, with the aim of attracting the largest possible number of visitors to the Kingdom.
