Jordan’s tourism industry takes hit But Amman optimistic

Figures released at the end of December 2006 by the Jordanian Ministry of Tourism for the first nine months of 2006 showed a 7.4% rise in the total number of tourist arrivals, with 4.9 million visitors entering the country. The vast majority of these were from Arab states, with Jordan’s near neighbors contributing 3.75 million tourists to the overall arrivals, with just under 1 million coming from Saudi Arabia. However, while there was also an increase in the number of Europeans and Americans visiting the kingdom, up by 7.9% and 30.8% respectively, the ministry figures showed a far greater fall off in the amount of time these tourists stayed in Jordan. The amount of time spent by European tourists fell by 26.8% compared to the January to September period in 2005, while there was a similar drop among US visitors. There was also a marked decline in the number of