LETTER FROM THE DIRECTOR

Dear Members and Friends,

The summer of 2009 has so far been a hot one as far as international tourism is concerned.

The global economic downturn and an outbreak of the H1N1 virus have cast a shadow over global tourism and have had a direct impact on visitor numbers and tourism revenues in most countries.

Jordan, just like the rest of the world, was not immune from the effects of the global financial crisis, and has witnessed a decline in the number of European and American tourists (10% and 7% respectively) during the first half of 2009.

But tourism from Arab countries was a different story. Affected by the global economic crisis and fearing the H1N1 virus, many Arab tourists decided to travel close to home. With the holy fasting month of Ramadan starting during the peak of their summer vacations, and with a strong JTB marketing campaign in GCC countries, tourists saw in Jordan the perfect holiday destination.

As a result, the number of Arab tourists (particularly from the Arabian Gulf) saw a remarkable increase. The first six months of 2009 saw their numbers reach more than 751,000 visitors, which represents a rise of 8% over the same period of 2008, and which accounts for more than 25% of total visitors. At the same time, tourism receipts went up by 1.9% in the first half with a total of JD 847 million.

Such impressive numbers give us a lot to think about as we put the final touches on an updated National Tourism Strategy, which takes a different look at the competitiveness of Jordan’s tourism product and its unique diversity.

Welcome to this new edition of JTBwire.


Nayef Al-Fayez
Managing Director