Jordan's tourism sector is experiencing an impressive surge this year, with record-breaking numbers of tourists visiting the country. Experts predict that this trend will continue until the end of the year, with 2023 set to be a landmark year for the industry.
Current data show that Jordan’s tourism income and visitor numbers have surpassed those achieved during the highly successful 2019 season.
According to data from the Central Bank, tourism revenues in Jordan increased by 84.5% during the first four months of this year. This was due to a significant rise in the number of tourists visiting the country. This was due to 1.95 million tourists arriving during the period - an increase of 87.2%. As a result, tourism revenues reached $3.11 billion at the end of April, compared to $1.21 billion during the same period last year.
Promising Data
According to experts, this year has been exceptional, with a 25% increase in visitors compared to the same period in 2019. Visitors are expected to continue to rise. It may even exceed previous records, based on the high rate of reservations, particularly in the last quarter of the year.
The projected number of tourists visiting Petra alone is estimated to be at least 1.6 million by year-end, and overall tourist rates are expected to increase by 10-15% compared to 2019.
This year, Jordan's tourism sector has seen significant growth for various reasons. The most notable factor is the promotion of low-cost aviation, which attracts individuals and groups to the country. Jordanian tourism authorities are shifting their focus towards non-traditional markets, taking advantage of low-cost air travel to tap into new tourism markets in the Kingdom.
European Tourism Season
Experts estimate that the current public tourism sector's excellent performance will continue, especially from September to November, which is considered the season for tourism from European source markets. With the help of low-cost airlines, Jordan has penetrated non-traditional European markets, such as Eastern European countries, which have become a major market for Jordan’s tourism.
The number of overnight European tourists increased by 78.7 percent in the first third of this year, 2023, compared to the same period in 2022, reaching 1.597 million tourists, up from 894 thousand tourists annually.