AMMAN - Despite the slowdown witnessed by the tourism industry since the beginning of the year, the number of Indian tourists is expected to rise, a government official said on Tuesday.
Jordan Tourism Board (JTB) Director General Nayef Fayez said 51,000 Indians visited the Kingdom in 2010, and this figure is expected to grow by 45 per cent in 2011.
He noted that 29,000 Indians have visited Jordan during the first five months of the year for various reasons, including leisure, business and medical treatment.
An Indian visitor spends around $160 per day in the Kingdom, Fayez told The Jordan Times from India, where he is currently participating in a road show organised by the JTB.
The JTB opened an office in India two years ago and organises an annual road show there to promote the country's tourist sites.
Under several measures implemented in 2009 to target emerging tourist markets, citizens of India are no longer required to apply for a visa at a Jordanian embassy in their country, and groups and individuals travelling to the Kingdom through tour operators can receive a visa upon arrival.
The current situation in the region has negatively impacted the Kingdom's hospitality industry, which prompted sector representatives to intensify promotion campaigns in different countries, including the Gulf states.
The overall number of tourists visiting the country in the January-May period dropped by 11 per cent compared to the same period last year, from 2.930 million to 2.608 million.
Tourists from European countries and the Gulf states went down by 10 per cent, while those from other Arab countries dropped by 7 per cent.
Total revenues generated by the sector in the first five months of the year stood at JD793 million, an 11 per cent drop compared to JD888 million in the same period of 2010.
© Jordan Times 2011
