Amman, Sept 9 (Petra) – Minister of Tourism and Antiquities Imad Hijazin on Tuesday met representatives of the tourism sector to discuss ways to develop a comprehensive plan for reviving tourism activity.
The meeting was attended by Petra Development and Tourism Region Authority (PDTRA) chief commissioner Fares Breizat, MP Zuhair Khushman, Director of the Tourism Police Department Brigadier Imad Al-Shurman, Jordan Tourism Board (JTB) director-general Abdelrazzaq Arabiyat, Aqaba Special Economic Zone Authority commissioner of tourism and youth Thabet Al-Nabulsi, PDTRA commissioner of reserves and tourism Yazan Mahadin, as well as representatives of tourism associations, Royal Jordanian Airlines, the aviation and transport sector, travel agencies, hotels, tour guides, and representatives from Wadi Rum and Petra.
Hijazin stressed the importance of finding practical solutions to stimulate the sector, underlining the need to identify priority markets for targeted outreach. He highlighted the importance of forging a unified vision to focus on European and Gulf markets, linking them with varied tourism products such as religious, conference, adventure and sports tourism, and also attracting Asian communities to diversify offerings.
He noted that traditional markets were gradually returning thanks to low-cost and domestic flights, while emphasizing the need to launch integrated packages involving travel agencies, hotels, transport firms and airlines, offering competitive programs capable of attracting group tours.
Hijazin said clear pricing structures were required for packages covering flights, transport, services and marketing mechanisms to produce practical results that meet the sector’s ambitions.
He added that the ministry, in coordination with the foreign ministry, was working to lift travel advisories against Jordan linked to regional instability, stressing the key role of Jordanian embassies in promoting the country’s safety abroad.
Breizat said a meeting had been held with EU ambassadors, in coordination with the tourism and foreign ministries, to underline Jordan’s status as a safe destination and push to remove travel advisories issued by some European countries. He stressed the need to build trust with international partners and showcase Jordan’s top destinations, led by Petra, Wadi Rum and Aqaba, as among the region’s most attractive.
Senator Michel Nazzal, head of the Senate’s Tourism Committee, underscored the importance of strong public-private partnerships to address the challenges facing tourism. He said efforts to revive the sector required unified visions and coordinated planning between ministries, government bodies and the private sector. Travel agencies, he said, needed stronger capacity to design comprehensive programs tailored to target markets.
Nazzal also called for major events at leading tourist sites such as Petra and Wadi Rum to help boost tourism flows, increase visitor numbers and enhance Jordan’s competitiveness at regional and international levels.
Arabiyat said the JTB was continuing global marketing campaigns to reach tourists directly through social media platforms and by hosting international influencers since the start of the year. He added that low-cost flights were expected to resume fully by the end of next month, a development that would further stimulate the sector.
Tourism industry representatives presented practical proposals addressing priorities in tourism programs and target markets. They said the European market remained a priority at this stage and called for developing products aligned with market requirements to attract more visitors across different segments.
Participants praised the ministry’s efforts to unify the vision and strengthen cooperation with the private sector and other stakeholders, urging the continuation of marketing campaigns and tourism packages to restore momentum in the sector, a key contributor to the national economy.
//Petra// AF
