Amman, Sept. 8 (Petra)-- A regional conference on sustainable tourism opened in Amman on Monday under the patronage of Senate President Faisal Fayez, with the participation of several Arab delegations.
The conference aims to raise awareness of the importance of tourism, exchange expertise, strengthen Arab cooperation in sustainable tourism, and foster public-private partnerships to promote Jordan’s tourism sector.
Fayez stressed the importance of holding the conference in Amman, highlighting Jordan’s rich cultural and historical tourism potential. He said goals should focus on ensuring tourism contribute to local community development, job creation, and improving living standards.
He said the tourism sector is a key contributor to Jordan’s economy, providing major employment opportunities and driving growth, sustainable development, and community empowerment. He also pointed out the challenges posed by regional conflicts and instability, which have affected tourism across the Arab world and in Jordan in particular.
Fayez stressed the need to revive Jordanian tourism through unifying stakeholders' efforts in both the public and private sectors to restore competitiveness, develop the tourism product, and promote it locally, regionally, and internationally. He called for leveraging the expertise of Arab and regional states.
The sector must be empowered with adequate resources and practical plans to overcome current regional challenges and restore vitality to tourism, given its importance for economic resilience, he said.
Restoring Jordan’s status as a tourism destination, he pointed out, requires attracting visitors from across the world, particularly Southeast Asia and Latin America, through targeted marketing, reducing costs, listing all archaeological and tourist sites on the global tourism map, extending visitors’ stays, and enhancing digital marketing on social media. He also spoke of the importance of facilitating travel to the Kingdom via low-cost airlines.
He further called for supporting tourism establishments by enabling access to bank facilities, rescheduling debts, deferring loan installments and interest, and easing entry procedures for tourist groups at land crossings and airports. He stressed coordination among all stakeholders to restore momentum to the tourism sector, which is facing major challenges.
//Petra// AO
