The Arabian Travel Market (ATM) road
show arrived in Amman on 10th February to conduct an educational
seminar at a time when Royal impetus is driving Jordan’s ambitious
tourism development plans.
The Hashemite Kingdom is ploughing ahead with its 25-year master plan
for sector development and government figures report a 15.3% increase in
2012 tourism receipts on 2011 figures, adding US$3.47 billion to the
economy.
According to Jordan’s Central Bank, the increase in tourist revenues
was due to the pick-up of inbound tourism numbers, with an increase in
visitors noted from Iraq, Libya and the US in particular.
Jones Lang LaSalle Hotels’ EMEA Q3 2012 Quarterly Newsletter reported
that hotels in Jordan achieved the best trading results in the Middle
East, primarily due to an 18.1% increase in occupancy. Amman was the
best performing city in the Middle East & Africa region for the same
period, with 30.4% RevPAR growth.
The Jordan Tourism Board will lead a host of high-profile
participants to Arabian Travel Market (ATM) 2013 which takes place at
the Dubai World Trade Centre on 6-9 May, such as Amlak Hotels &
Tourism Investment and first time exhibitor Belle Vue Hotels. Commenting
on the on the renewed optimism and confidence in Jordan, Mark Walsh,
Portfolio Director, Reed Travel Exhibitions, said: “Jordan currently has a pipeline of around 3,858 hotel rooms, with 2008
set to be a banner year for openings, with a number of high profile
hospitality names making their market debut, and the country is
definitely on the cusp of a tourism revival,”
Leisure demand, thanks to the country’s rich cultural heritage, remains
the key tourism driver and one of the key elements of the Kingdom’s
tourism master plan is development in and around the Dead Sea and Aqaba
with a number of hotels set to open in 2008/15, including the Westin
Aqaba Harbour Resort & Spa, Starwood’s Luxury Collection Al Manara
Hotel and the JW Marriott Aqaba Hotel & Spa, along with the headline
grabbing US$1.5 billion Red Sea Astrarium – a Star Trek-themed
amusement park.
“The current annual capacity of 3.5 million passengers at Queen Alia
International airport, will be superceded by expansion plans to
accommodate up to nine million passengers per year with the imminent
launch of the new US$750 million terminal, and a second phase taking
that to 12 million in the coming years,” added Walsh.
According to the Ministry of Tourism, the total number of visitors to
the country fell by 7.3% in 2012, to 6,308,250, compared to 6,812,426 in
2011, however 4,162,367 overnight tourists were recorded in 2012, up a
healthy 5.1% from 3,959,643 in 2011. The number of visitors heading to
Jordan’s key archaeological sites also dropped, although Petra
Archaeological Park reported a 15% increase in December 2012 visitors
against the previous year.
Held under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al
Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE, Ruler of Dubai
and set to celebrate its 20th anniversary, the show has grown to become
the largest showcase of its kind in the region and one of the biggest in
the world.
New to the 2013 event, ATM is launching the digital and technology
day focusing on online travel developments and showcasing headline
speakers from across the industry.
Taking place again this year is the New Frontiers Award, which was
created to recognize outstanding contributions to tourism development in
the face of overwhelming adversity.
The perennially popular industry Careers Day will wrap up the week
providing the opportunity for visitors looking to make a career move to
meet with the exhibitors’ HR contacts looking for their next recruit.
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