Jordan’s tourism revenues surpassed $5 billion in 2018, marking an 8% increase from last year’s $4.6 billion, the Central Bank of Jordan announced Monday (December 31st).
In a statement carried by the Jordanian news agency, Petra, the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities said the sector is continuing to achieve more gains marked by a continuous rise in performance indicators.
These showed a rise in the number of overnight tourists, which reached about 3.86 million by the end of November, constituting an increase of 8% over the same period last year, and the number of one-day visitors, which rose to 721,325, up by 7.8% from the same period last year.
Visitors to Petra reached some 800,000 by the end of November, a 33% rise, while the number of visitors to Jerash saw a 30% increase to reach 308,000.
Other sites recording an increase in visitors included Wadi Rum, Mount Nebo, Ajloun, the Baptism Site, Madaba Church and Karak, according to the statement.
Revenues from archaeological sites increased to reach 21 million Jordanian dinars ($29.6 million), an increase of 36% compared to the same period of 2017, the statement said.
Around 3,276 tourism events had been organised by the end of November.
This year, 74 new travel and tourism offices were opened in the kingdom, bringing the total to 904, the statement said, with the number of workers in the sector reaching 88,000.
The ministry said these indicators reflected the kingdom’s stability, in addition to the ministry’s efforts to co-operate with all stakeholders in the tourism sector to increase the number of tourists coming to the kingdom and prolong their stay.
