JORDAN: Red Sea Tourism To Grow After Royal Wings Launched Aqaba-Dubai Flights

Royal Wings,the subsidiary of Royal Jordanian – is to launch direct flights between King Hussein International Airport in Aqaba on the Jordanian coast and Al Maktoum International Airport at Dubai South.

Royal Wings is transferring its operations from Amman to Aqaba to boost air transportation and tourism in the port city.

This new Dubai service will be run twice weekly – Sundays and Thursdays – at a first stage, with competitive ticket fares to facilitate the movement of passengers between Aqaba, an important tourist and economic destination on the shores of the Red Sea, and Dubai, a vital and pivotal business centre.

With this new flight, investors and tourists will be able to visit Aqaba, Petra and Wadi Rum, enjoy Jordanian tourist sites and its moderate weather.

Royal Wings Managing Director Osama Quntar said: Royal Wings operates this route in cooperation with the Jordan Tourism Board, which continuously seeks to promote Jordan to the world, especially in the Arab Gulf countries, whose citizens consider Jordan an attractive destination for family tourism in terms of entertainment, culture, health and medical and eco tourism.

This new service to Dubai comes after it launched direct regular flights to Beirut and Cairo.

The company also aims to operate to new markets like London, Milan, Moscow, Copenhagen, Helsinki, Oslo, Stockholm and others, according to its 2017- 2018 operational plan.

The flights depart at 8:35 from Aqaba and arrives at Al Maktoum International Airport in Dubai at 12:25; it takes off from Dubai at 13:10 and arrives in Aqaba at 15:15.

JORDAN: 400 Russian Tourists Land In Aqaba

A Pegas Touristic charter flight from Russia carrying 400 tourists landed in Aqaba, Jordan today.

Aqaba is a seaside resort in Southern Jordan and after Amman a second international gateway into the country. Sandwiched in between trouble-spots in the world, Jordan Tourism is working hard to make the tourism world understand the country is safe, beautiful and ready to receive tourists.

A recently concluded UNWTO conference in Petra, Jordan brought attention to the situation in Jordan.

The latest charter flight is supported by the Jordan Tourism Board and operates in cooperation with TravCo Jordan.

It’s an example of the tangible achievements brought on by the Jordan Tourism Board’s efforts to attract international scheduled charters and low cost carriers to Aqaba.

This step will encourage more routes to be established to the city of Aqaba which will then act as a launching pad for more international tourist sites in the Kingdom.

Dr. Abed Al-Razzaq Arabiyat, managing director of the Jordan Tourism Board, said: The success we’re witnessing is a direct result of cooperative and mutual efforts from the Ministry of Tourism, Aqaba Authority and related tour operators in order to promote tourism in the Kingdom.

Arabiyat added: The number of Russian tourists has noticeably increased due to JTB’s marketing campaigns in Russia and has reached over 40 thousand tourists so far this year.

Paolo Nocerino, general manager of TravCo Jordan, a company specialized in organizing tours for Russian tourists to the Kingdom, said: We’re putting in real and palpable effort to support the revitalization of the tourism sector in Jordan through enhanced programs and through working closely with others in the travel industry in Jordan and around the world.Nocerino added

A Pegas Touristic charter flight from Russia carrying 400 tourists landed in Aqaba, Jordan today.

Aqaba is a seaside resort in Southern Jordan and after Amman a second international gateway into the country.

Sandwiched in between trouble-spots in the world, Jordan Tourism is working hard to make the tourism world understand the country is safe, beautiful and ready to receive tourists.

A recently concluded UNWTO conference in Petra, Jordan brought attention to the situation in Jordan.

The latest charter flight is supported by the Jordan Tourism Board and operates in cooperation with TravCo Jordan.

It’s an example of the tangible achievements brought on by the Jordan Tourism Board’s efforts to attract international scheduled charters and low cost carriers to Aqaba.

This step will encourage more routes to be established to the city of Aqaba which will then act as a launching pad for more international tourist sites in the Kingdom.

Dr. Abed Al-Razzaq Arabiyat, managing director of the Jordan Tourism Board, said: The success we’re witnessing is a direct result of cooperative and mutual efforts from the Ministry of Tourism, Aqaba Authority and related tour operators in order to promote tourism in the Kingdom.

Arabiyat added: The number of Russian tourists has noticeably increased due to JTB’s marketing campaigns in Russia and has reached over 40 thousand tourists so far this year.

Paolo Nocerino, general manager of TravCo Jordan, a company specialized in organizing tours for Russian tourists to the Kingdom, said: We’re putting in real and palpable effort to support the revitalization of the tourism sector in Jordan through enhanced programs and through working closely with others in the travel industry in Jordan and around the world.

Nocerino added: These positive results contribute to reinvigorating the tourism industry in Jordan through the support of TravCo PLC and their local team who are dedicated to making sure that tourists are enjoying their experiences in the Kingdom and encouraging their friends and family to do the same.

It is worth noting that the Jordan Tourism Board launched intensified campaigns in Russia starting late 2015 that extended to early 2016 in Moscow, St. Petersburg, Kazan and Krasnodar which lead to the launch of charter flights to Aqaba.

JTB also has a strategy in place to attract charters and low cost carriers from around the world to take advantage of incentives at KHIA.

Recently a charter from Kiev also started service to the second international gateway into Jordan.

JORDAN: Jordan Hosts AdventureNEXT Conference 15-17/ May

Jordan will on May 15-17 host AdventureNEXT Near East, the first conference to develop ecotourism and travel throughout the Middle East and North Africa.

The event - organized with the support of Jordan's tourism and antiquities ministry and the Jordan Tourism Board - will be held alongside the inauguration of the 650-km Jordan Trail, which will cross 52 villages across the country. The Jordan Trail is expected to lead to economic growth for the local communities.

Taking part will be tourism boards, travel agents and representatives of hotel facilities strongly supporting sustainable, responsible and adventure tourism that are members of the Adventure Travel Trade Association (ATTA), a body that has 1,100 associates in 90 countries.

Minister of Tourism and Antiquities, Lina Annab Tuesday said Jordan's largest tourism investments are located in Amman, the Dead Sea and Aqaba, pointing out that the value of current investments in Aqaba and the Dead Sea amount to about JOD16 billion.

Annab is heading the Jordanian delegation participating in the Arabian Travel Market (ATM) 2017 in Dubai, running through Thursday with the participation of 159 countries.

She told Petra that most recent include the Ayla Oasis, which includes the first 18-hole golf course designed by the legendary golfer Greg Norman, Saraya Aqaba and Marsa Zayed, in the southern port of Aqaba.

Annab said Amman is currently witnessing significant tourism investments, such as the St. Regis and Fairmont hotel projects and the Abdali Boulevard project, which includes Rotana hotels and a chain of international restaurants.

ATM 2017 will welcome over 2,600 confirmed exhibitors – with 100 exhibiting for the first time – across 65 national pavilions, and an expected number of visitors of 30,000.

Weeks after last month's deadly castle siege in the Jordanian city of Karak, police maintained a daily presence in an armoured Jeep in the heart of the capital Amman.

A helmeted police officer constantly manned the heavy machinegun affixed to the Jeep's roof, scanning cars and pedestrians as they navigated through the central neighbourhood of Jabal al-Weibdeh. Other officers stopped and searched vehicles and pedestrians, a patrol that continued up until last week.

A vibrant neighbourhood comprising Jordanian Muslims, Christians and foreigners, Jabal al-Weibdeh is in many ways an example of the tolerant image that Jordan wants to project to the world - while the heavy, yet temporary police presence illustrates the fine line that Jordan must tread between visible security and not deterring tourists.

In 2015, tourism contributed 6 percent directly to Jordan's GDP, and more than 20 percent indirectly, according to the World Travel and Tourism Council.

After the Karak siege, the United States warned its citizens of "threats from terrorist groups throughout Jordan", adding to fears about the impacts of the attack on Jordan's tourism sector.

The modern Jordanian tourism industry was born out of conflict - in particular, Israel's capture and occupation of East Jerusalem and the West Bank in 1967, said Suleiman Farajat, an assistant professor of tourism at the University of Jordan.

"When Jordan lost the West Bank in 1967, it became very important to focus on Jordanian sites in the east, starting from Petra, where the first management plan was done in 1968," Farajat told Al Jazeera.

With the rise of oil in the region in the 1970s, the inscription of Petra as a World Heritage Site in 1985, and the filming of 1989's Indiana Jones in Petra, Jordan's international profile rose. The country's peace treaty with Israel in 1994, Farajat said, was a real turning point "when numbers of tourists doubled, and when the infrastructure of tourism became more visible".

But subsequent regional conflicts, including the 2003 Iraq war and the ongoing violence in Syria and Iraq, have heavily impacted Jordan's tourism industry, causing tourist numbers to fall. Visitor numbers to Petra were halved between 2014 and 2015, dropping from 800,000 to 400,000.

Tourism industry workers are concerned about what lies ahead. Ahmad, a tour guide who works at the Greco-Roman ruins at Jerash - which were also under tightened security after the Karak siege - has witnessed the steady decline in numbers first-hand.

Since the outbreak of Syria's civil war in 2011, he estimates there has been an 80 percent drop in tourists to Jerash.

"In the high season, we used to do up to five tours a day, each tour guide. Now in the high season we do one every day, sometimes one every two days," said Ahmad, who did not provide a last name.

He noted that his profession faces a secondary threat from the increased automation of tour-guide services, including cheaper, headphone audio-guided tours.

When they do come to Jordan, tourists' demographics have also changed, Ahmad said including the replacement of "retirees, Americans, Europeans, on a regular, or traditional tour", with younger, often poorer, tourists.

"This is reflected in the budget of the tourist. Mostly, the majority come here on a tight budget," he explained, noting that entrance fees to some of Jordan's tourist sites may be prohibitively high. A one-month entry visa to Jordan costs 40 Jordanian dinars ($56), while the entrance fee for a one-day visit to Petra is 50 dinars ($70).

When Ahmad began working as a tour guide in 2010, it was a coveted career, he said.

"In the past it used to be a full-time job, and they used to make very good money. It was the best job to do in Jordan. Some professors left teaching in universities and became tour guides," he explained. "But now it's the opposite. Tour guides are looking for other jobs."

As many tour guides struggle to maintain a steady income and morale plummets, Farajat said, this "indirectly influences the quality of service and the culture of service", harming Jordan's competitive advantage in the international market.

Still, with attacks being staged everywhere from Paris to Berlin, tourists are realising that "it could happen anywhere," Ahmad noted.

"We had the attack in Karak, and the attack in Germany. How many people were killed here, and there? In Jordan, 10. In Germany, 12," Ahmad recalled telling a group of young, western tourists in Karak on the day of last month's siege.

If you talk about terrorism, now it's everywhere in the world. So there's no point in avoiding this country or that, because it can happen in every country.

Farajat cited the importance of tourism as a way to counter Islamophobic narratives in the West.

It's very important in this time of Islamophobia, that tourists come here and see that we are normal people. We don't bite, he said with a laugh. That's important, right?

Certain areas of Jordan, especially the tourist draws of Jerash, Petra, Wadi Rum and Aqaba - may be hit hardest by any fallout from the Karak siege.

But Tourism Minister Lina Annab, who kept her post in this month's cabinet shuffle, played down reports of declining tourist numbers during a recent news conference.

"It's business as usual and the cancellations have been minimal. Unfortunately, as for danger, there is no place that is 100 percent safe," Annab said. The tourism ministry did not respond to requests for further comment.

When spring finally arrives, bringing warmer weather and wild-flower-covered hills, Ahmad and his colleagues hope more tourists will flock back to the country.

Until then, they must persevere, returning to Petra yet again without knowing whether the next day will bring work.

JORDAN: Undiscovered Treasure

”My favourite time of day in Amman, no matter what season, is sunset,” Wendy Guyot says.
The Portland-native has been living in Jordan since autumn last year, so she's witnessed quite a few of them.

”The city is built upon hills, and as the sun drops down below them the buildings all change colour for a while, reflecting orange and red. Then you see the lights starting to come on in the houses, the warm glow of them inside – and a half hour later it's pitch black. It's a clear, crisp darkness, and you can see the stars shining across the hills.”

Wendy lives on the fifth floor of a building – high enough to enjoy the Amman sunset each night.

”There are a lot of bars and restaurants with rooftop bars too, though, where you can really feel the city change from day to night,” she says.

Wendy moved to Amman to work with humanitarian aid in Syria. But she says life in Jordan is nothing like what many Americans would expect of the Middle East.

”When I arrived in Jordan for the first time, my first impression was how modern everything was,” she remarks. ”People don't necessarily associate the Middle East with modernity.”

But for the most part, life in Jordan is like life well, anywhere else.

”The stop lights, the electricity, the water, the freeways it's all perfectly normal. A day in my life here is like a day anywhere,” she says. ”I walk to work, spend my day in the office, go out for dinner and drinks with friends, and walk home alone.”

But there are a few key differences – like how easy it is to meet people.

”When I moved to New York it took me a year to feel like I had a close group of friends,” Wendy explains. ”In Amman it was much quicker. It's very easy to talk to people."

And the social circles are more mixed, she says, than in many other cities. While many places develop separate ”expat communities”, Amman is a true melting pot.

”I was pleasantly surprised at how mixed the groups are,” she says. ”There are lots of aid workers from the US and Europe, but they hang out with locals who have grown up here, and people from Turkey and Lebanon who have ended up here. It's not segregated.”

In fact, she's never felt more welcomed in a city.

”Every single person, every shop keeper, says 'Welcome to Jordan!' when they meet a new foreigner,” Wendy informs The Local. ”And it feels very genuine. Jordanians are very hospitable and happy to have people living here.”

Even the local police go out of their way to make newcomers feel welcome.

”Once I was pulled over at a routine traffic stop,” Wendy recalls. ”And the policeman just looked at me and my car full of friends and exclaimed, 'Oh, welcome to Jordan!' and let us go.”

Put simply, it's easy to live there, she says.

”All of the things we're used to in the west are right here. The electricy always works; we have street lights and good internet. There's no sacrifice, no compromise in the quality of life, and yet it's unique and interesting.”

As an aid worker who has travelled around quite a bit, Wendy says that Jordan is one of the only places she has lived where she feels she can have her friends and family come visit – not just because of how safe it is, but how much there is to do.

”There's this fascinating vibe to Amman like it's still evolving,” she says. ”There are galleries, an emerging music and art scene, and a new skate park. Recently there was a little hiphop rap festival, and there's a hip vegan brunch and popup restaurants. And now the royal family is hosting a free film festival.”

Cultural life in Amman is subtle, she says. You might not see everything that's there at a glance – you have to scratch underneath the surface.

”It's not obvious like in Beirut or Istanbul. It's not in your face. But when you seek out these Jordanian-led events, they're really cool.”

One of the higlights of her day is when the dozens of mosques throughout the city sing the call to prayer.

”I love it,” she remarks. ”Five times a day there is this great cacophany of the call to prayer, and it feels like everything slows down a bit. That's something you don't get in places like New York or somewhere else.”

There's a certain pride in Jordan, she adds – but it's humble, not arrogant.

”I really love working with Jordanians and living here,” she says. ”It's an undiscovered treasure, and when they say 'Welcome to Jordan', they mean it.”

JORDAN: Aqaba To Offer Alternative To Sharm El-Sheikh?

Days after the Russian plane crashed in Sinai, the UK halted all flights to Sharm El-Sheikh until the results of the investigation were revealed. Russia shortly followed suit by cancelling all flights to and from Egypt. The Tourism Board in Jordan adopted new measures to encourage Russian tourists to visit Jordan, offering an alternative to Sharm El-Sheikh

Days after the Russian plane crashed in Sinai, the UK halted all flights to Sharm El-Sheikh until the results of the investigation were revealed. Russia shortly followed suit by cancelling all flights to and from Egypt. The Tourism Board in Jordan adopted new measures to encourage Russian tourists to visit Jordan, offering an alternative to the Egypt’s most famous tourism spots in Sinai.

According to the Jordan Times, Managing Director of the Jordan Tourism Board (JTB) Abbed Al-Razzaq Arabiyat said they are contacting with Russian and British tour operators to promote tourism to the city of Aqaba. The JTB called on the Royal Wings to offer the Russian market cheaper flights to encourage Russians to visit Jordan, which was welcomed by the airline.

Russian tourism constituted 35% of the total tourism to Egypt, with the tourists reaching two million over the last nine months. The total of Russian tourism expenditure in 2014 amounted to $2.5m out of $7.3m, the total tourism expenditure.

In an attempt to support national tourism, some travel agencies launched packages to Sharm El-Sheikh at affordable prices, such as Tez Tour Egypt.

Jordan enjoys various touristic attractions that can become competition to those of Egypt, especially following the latest incident. The coastal city of Aqaba on the Red Sea has a similar climate to Sharm El-Sheikh and the historical city of Petra could grow to become a destination to tourists interested in history and archaeology. Wadi Rum or the Valley of the Moon can also serve as an alternative desert safari spot. The Dead Sea is already one of the world’s top health resorts.

Egyptian tourism will also have to compete with Easyjet’s other favourable destinations; Morocco, where the cities of Agadir, Casablanca, Essaouira, and Marrakech have been prominent destinations after Egypt’s Hurghada and Sharm El-Sheikh. Now that the airliner’s flights to Sharm El-Sheikh are on pause, demand on flights to Morocco is expected to increase.

JORDAN: Ministry Upbeat With 20% Rise In Tourists Recorded

The “positive” tourism indicators in July bode well for the sector’s performance next year, Tourism Minister Nayef Al Fayez said Monday.

A total of 422,254 tourists visited Jordan in July, registering a 20 per cent increase compared to the same period last year, including some 337,000 overnight visitors, 30 per cent higher than last July.

The sector’s revenues in July stood at JD250.6 million, compared with JD196.6 million during the same month last year, according to the ministry’s figures based on information provided by the Central Bank of Jordan.

At a meeting with the press, Fayez said the sector is “moving in the right direction although some issues still remain”.

He cited the government-funded campaigns implemented by the Jordan Tourism Board (JTB) as a major move that contributed to a higher influx of tourists, in addition to cancelling entry visa fees for visitors who buy unified tickets for 39 tourist sites, which is aimed at extending their stay in Jordan.

The minister said the number of Arab-Israelis visiting Jordan and staying over three nights rose by 50 per cent due to decreasing visa fees from JD40 to JD10.

Addressing the decrease in the number of visitors to Petra, some 235km south of Amman, the ministry, in cooperation with Ministry of Finance, has exempted tourist institutions in the region from penalties on income and sales tax delays.

But looking at the bigger picture, the end of the summer vacation season will be accompanied by a drop in the number of visitors, especially Jordanian expatriates and tourists from Arab countries, who form the majority of visitors.

Therefore, the ministry seeks to promote Jordan as a tourist destination for Arabs all-year-round, and to attract tourists from nontraditional markets, said Fayez.

He added that facilities at tourist sites will be revamped in partnership with the private sector.

Political and economic conditions in the region have affected the tourism sector, causing a drop in the number of visitors and revenues, the minister said.

Over the January-July period this year, the number of tourists was around 2.8 million, compared to some 3 million visitors over the same period in 2014, which led to a drop in tourism revenues from around JD1.8 billion over the first half of 2014 to around JD1.6 billion during the same period this year.

For his part, JTB Managing Director Abed Al Razzaq Arabiyat said of the government-funded campaign are currently promoting tourist attractions — mainly Petra and Aqaba — in Britain, Germany and France.

The marketing campaigns target public parks and means of public transport for maximum exposure, he said, adding that the campaigns include an online component.

Once the step proves successful, the board will start another campaign in China, Malaysia, Indonesia and Korea, according to Arabiyat.

In September, the JTB is scheduled to host up to 250 journalists and bloggers from all over the world to encourage them to publish stories on tourist sites in Jordan.

Meanwhile, the ministry’s secretary general, Issa Gammoh, said a new by-law regulating the management of tourist sites will be issued soon, adding that part of the entry tickets will be allocated for developing sites and services.

JORDAN: Arabs And Jordanians To Pay Same Tourist Site Entry Fees

The Cabinet on Wednesday extended a decision to charge Arab tourists the same entry fees as Jordanians when they visit tourist and archaeological sites until December 31, 2016.

The decision, which was first taken in 2014 and previously extended for this year, is aimed at promoting tourism and enhancing Jordan's competitiveness to attract Arab tourists.

The government took several decisions and measures recently in order to support the tourism sector and enable it to overcome the negative repercussions of regional unrest.

Jordan was able to reduce its tourism losses to 6 per cent this year, although the expected loss in revenues was between 20 and 25 per cent, the Jordan Tourism Board (JTB) said earlier this week.

Earlier this year, the Cabinet reduced electricity tariffs for hotels and annulled entry visa fees for visitors who buy unified tickets to tourist sites to support the tourism sector.

The Council of Ministers also lowered the fees for visitors entering through land border crossings from JD40 to JD10 and removed the special tax on tickets for regular flights from Amman to Aqaba.

The JTB is promoting Jordan's tourist attractions in several European markets, placing advertisements on billboards and public transport means.

These campaigns are expected to pay off in 2016, with a rise in tourist numbers, Tourism Minister Nayef Al Fayez said this week during a visit by Prime Minister Abdullah Ensour to the JTB.

EGYPT: Aqaba To Offer Alternative To Sharm El-Sheikh?

Days after the Russian plane crashed in Sinai, the UK halted all flights to Sharm El-Sheikh until the results of the investigation were revealed. Russia shortly followed suit by cancelling all flights to and from Egypt. The Tourism Board in Jordan adopted new measures to encourage Russian tourists to visit Jordan, offering an alternative to the Egypt’s most famous tourism spots in Sinai.

According to the Jordan Times, Managing Director of the Jordan Tourism Board (JTB) Abbed Al-Razzaq Arabiyat said they are contacting with Russian and British tour operators to promote tourism to the city of Aqaba. The JTB called on the Royal Wings to offer the Russian market cheaper flights to encourage Russians to visit Jordan, which was welcomed by the airline.

Russian tourism constituted 35% of the total tourism to Egypt, with the tourists reaching two million over the last nine months. The total of Russian tourism expenditure in 2014 amounted to $2.5m out of $7.3m, the total tourism expenditure.

In an attempt to support national tourism, some travel agencies launched packages to Sharm El-Sheikh at affordable prices, such as Tez Tour Egypt.

Jordan enjoys various touristic attractions that can become competition to those of Egypt, especially following the latest incident. The coastal city of Aqaba on the Red Sea has a similar climate to Sharm El-Sheikh and the historical city of Petra could grow to become a destination to tourists interested in history and archaeology. Wadi Rum or the Valley of the Moon can also serve as an alternative desert safari spot. The Dead Sea is already one of the world’s top health resorts.

Egyptian tourism will also have to compete with Easyjet’s other favourable destinations; Morocco, where the cities of Agadir, Casablanca, Essaouira, and Marrakech have been prominent destinations after Egypt’s Hurghada and Sharm El-Sheikh. Now that the airliner’s flights to Sharm El-Sheikh are on pause, demand on flights to Morocco is expected to increase.