AMMAN — The sounds of the
celebration were still echoing through the media sphere, welcoming regular flights
bringing Russian tourists to Aqaba with promises of revival and recovery. Alas,
we woke up from the dream to a bitter reality that our governments and
tourism sector leaders have failed over the years to change and are not expected to do
so in the foreseeable future.
اضافة اعلان
"All inbound tourist flights from
Russia to Aqaba have been suspended," sources told
Jordan
News on Tuesday, citing the high cost of hotel accommodations and
mandatory PCR tests at the airport, hovering around $40.
The flights
have instead been redirected to Sharm El Sheikh, where everything is cheaper,
the quality is the same or even better, and the brotherly Egyptians are famous
for their hospitality.
This is a
fatal blow to tourism in the "Golden Triangle," and we need to acknowledge
it and try to do something about it.
Ten days ago,
Jordan News did an in-depth report warning of
the inevitable as we were expecting the sector to receive the kiss of life with
a commendable "safe summer" anti-
COVID strategy, especially in the
three components of the triangle:
Aqaba, Petra, and
Wadi Rum. Shocked by the
high cost and maybe other things, the Russians blew the whistle, changed the
route, and decided to fly 220km down the coast of the Red Sea to enjoy an
affordable vacation.
Figures speak
for themselves and on almost all counts. Jordan is way more expensive than
Egypt and Turkey, and it surely cannot compete with the open buffets and free
drinks offered there. Jordanians themselves prefer to go to Sharm El-Sheikh or
Trabzon than to Aqaba. Just have a look at the ads posted by travel agents and
judge for yourselves. You can spend two nights in Taba for the price you pay
for a fish meal for three persons at a five-star restaurant in Aqaba.
Let's admit
it.
We can't live
without tourism. In pre-COVID times, take 2019,
the sector "generated over 50,000 jobs, amassed JD5.9 billion,
contributing 19.8 percent of the country's Gross
Domestic Product (GDP)," according to the Ministry of Tourism, as
cited in the said report.
A word to
tourism officials: Please spare us the talk about Jordan offering better
quality. I have not heard many speaking about low quality of tourism services
in the countries Jordan is competing with, and that explains why tens of
thousands of Jordanians visit these destinations again and again.
What we seem to
have overlooked is that the fact that the day-after competition is different,
not only in the tourism sector, but also in foreign investments, in this industry
and others. Countries are gasping for air, and it is indeed a matter of
survival for all.
Sector
leaders and officials might give you a thousand convincing reasons why Jordan
is expensive for tourists.
Well, do
something, then.
Read more
Opinion & Analysis
.jpg)
.jpg)
