Jordan News

 AMMAN — European low-cost carriers Ryanair, EasyJet and Norwegian Airlines will start flights from several European cities to Amman and Aqaba as of November 1, an official said on Tuesday.

AMMAN — The Cabinet on Wednesday decided to remove Kenyans from the restricted-nationality list, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

The decision came in line with government’s plans to increase investment and to open up to the African market.

 AMMAN — The 2018 World Tourism Awards will be presented to the Jordan Trail Association, alongside two other winners on November 5, as part of the opening day of World Travel Market London, according to a statement by World Tourism Awards.

AMMAN — A total of 2,152 people visited the tombs of Prophet Mohammad’s companions in the Southern Mazar last June.

Mohammad Sarairah, the supervisor of the shrines, said that 1,285 of the visitors were Muslims from Turkey, the US, Pakistan, China, India, Malaysia and several African and European countries, while 485 visitors were Arabs and 362 were Jordanians. In May, some 2,609 people visited the Islamic shrines.

 https://jordantimes.com/

 AMMAN — The works of 30 emerging Jordanian artists on Saturday was inaugurated at the JODAR Artistry community art space, as part of a unique creative event held under the patronage of HRH Princess Alia. 

The Tourism Ministry on Saturday allowed some 300 restaurants and cafés to serve hookah without issuing fines against them provided that they rectify their status by December 31.

In case of exceeding the given period, legal actions will be taken against the establishments in accordance with the law, the ministry noted.

 AMMAN — An international competition organised by 10 leading sustainable tourism organisations and networks has named Ajloun Forest Reserve as one of the world’s top 100 sustainable destinations for 2018, in recognition of its responsible and sustainable tourism initiatives.

AMMAN — Tourism Minister Lina Annab is scheduled to head Jordan’s delegation to the 41st session of UNESCO’s World Heritage Committee, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported on Monday.

Annab said that the session’s agenda includes nominating Salt’s historical town, 35km northwest of Amman, to be listed as a world heritage site.

 Destinations such Petra, Amman Citadel and downtown Amman have received more visitors since beginning of this year, according to Jordan Tourism Board.

AMMAN — Deputising for His Majesty King Abdullah, Water and Irrigation Minister Hazem Nasser on Wednesday opened the Jordan Food Exhibition 2017, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

The five-day fair, which is held at the Expo Land near airport, is organised by the International Promoters Company (IPCO), in cooperation with Amman Chamber of Industry, the Islamic International Arab Bank and Giant Industrial Group.

 AMMAN — The Royal Society for the Conservation of Nature (RSCN) has submitted the nomination of Burqu as a nature reserve to the Ministry of Environment, pending an approval from the Cabinet, RSCN Director General Yehya Khaled said on Wednesday.

AMMAN —The Greater Amman Municipality (GAM) on Tuesday announced that Al Hussein Park will close during the Amman Summer Festival from July 6 until July 15, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

The decision is intended to facilitate the movement of vehicles and pedestrians inside the park, except for visitors to the Royal Automobile Museum.

 AMMAN — Tourism Minister Lina Annab on Tuesday opened the 5th International Forum for Hospitality, Food Industries and Hotel Equipment “Horeca Jordan 2018” at the Zara Expo Exhibition Centre.

AMMAN — The Amman Summer Festival is expected to start on Thursday night at the main stage of Al Hussein Park, The 10-day festival will be held for the 11th year, in four locations inside the park.

 AMMAN — A unique creative exchange programme is bringing together the seemingly opposite worlds of the small, medieval city of Durham in northeast England and the hilly metropolis of Amman, under the title "Alta'ir" (or "bird" in Arabic).

AMMAN — The Children Museum Jordan on Wednesday announced that it reached the final round of the 2017 Children Museums Award, for its project titled “Mobile Museum of Children”.

The announcement came after a jury meeting of the Children in Museums Award in Amsterdam in late June, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

 Local women showcase their homemade dairy products including Labneh (strained yougurt) during Jerash Labneh Festival, a one-day event that was held Friday at the ancient Roman city of Jerash, 45km north of Amman, and included many activities such as kids games, traditional dancing and films.

AMMAN — HRH Princess Sanaa Asem on Wednesday attended the opening ceremony of the 23rd Shabib Festival at the Roman Theatre in Amman, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

The festival’s Higher Executive Committee President Sharifa Budur Bint Asem, said that the festival has succeeded in delivering its message of diversity in arts and culture.

 AMMAN — The annual Amman Book Fair attracted scores of people from all over the country who enjoy books, various cultural activities and signings from distinguished Jordanian authors over the weekend.

 AMMAN — Ramtha hosts Tunisia’s Etoile Sportive Du Sahel in the return leg of the Arab Club Champions Cup at Al Hassan Stadium in Irbid on Friday.

AMMAN — “Unfamiliar” tourist sites around the Kingdom can be promoted as providing visual experiences and opportunities for interaction with local residents through new marketing campaigns, representatives from the tourism sector said on Tuesday.

In an article posted recently on Middle East social news website www.stepfeed.com, 14 tourist attractions around Jordan “that aren’t Petra, Amman, and the Dead Sea” were promoted.

 AMMAN — Through the centuries, Madaba has been a symbol of cultural interaction and peaceful coexistence between different religions and cultural traditions, and its long history testifies of the important role of the area, said Italian archaeologist and co-director of the Madaba Regional Archaeological Museum Project (MRAMP) Andrea Polcaro, adding that "we believe it is one of the main values to be highlighted in the new museum of Madaba”.

AMMAN —Tourism Minister Lina Annab said that the number of tourists to the Kingdom in the first five months of the year increased by 10.5 per cent, compared with the same period of last year.

A total of 2.6 million tourists visited Jordan until the end of this year’s May, compared with 1.864 million visitors to the country in the same period of 2016. 

 AMMAN — Jordan Motorsport has confirmed there will be a strong regional flavour to the official entry lists for this week’s inaugural Jordan Baja, the Kingdom’s first cross-country rally to run since 1990, according to the Jordan Motorsport Media Service.

The Greater Amman Municipality’s (GAM) Al Hussein Parks has been receiving around 2,000 visitors every day since the fasting month of Ramadan started, while King Abdullah II Park in Muqabalein has been receiving around 1,000 visitors daily, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

 AMMAN — Moving away from the traditional fundraising techniques, the King Hussein Cancer Foundation (KHCF)  is organising “Steps for Life”, an initiative that gives citizens the opportunity to support the treatment of underprivileged patients at the King Hussein Cancer Centre’s (KHCC) by engaging in an entertaining and healthy  hiking experience.

Minister of State for Media Affairs Mohammad Momani on Tuesday said that the Tourism Ministry’s instructions allow tourist facilities to work during Ramadan and provide services without violating the “sanctity” of the fasting month.

Muslims abstain from food and drink during Ramadan from dawn until after sunset.

 AMMAN — The European Film Festival will kick off in Amman on Wednesday, and will be screening 19 movies. It will also launch a competition for local filmmakers.

Jordan’s tourism sector has witnessed a “considerable and promising” increase in the number of visitors since the beginning of the year, particularly from Asian countries, an official said in a recent interview.

The number of overall tourists reached 1.639 million visitors during the first four months of this year, compared to nearly 1.457 million over the same period last year, registering a 12.5 per cent growth, said Jordan Tourism Board (JTB) Managing Director Abed Al Razzaq Arabiyat.

Tourism revenues rose by 12.7 per cent during the first ten months of this year to around $3.9 billion, up from $2.4 billion generated during the same period in 2016, the Central Bank of Jordan said.

Last year marked another successful year for Jordanian tourism, with UK visitor numbers rising by seven per cent, compared to 2015, with Britain remaining the largest European source market for the Hashemite Kingdom.

The launch of the ExtraJORDANary campaign, in spring 2016, contributed to the positive arrival figures as travellers where able to book holidays through several new tour operators.

Jordan this year witnessed an increase in the number of overnight religious tourists from countries targeted by promotion efforts, an official said on Wednesday.

AMMAN — The pumping of water from three new wells in Petra District in Maan Governorate has begun at a capacity of 600 cubic metres per hour, in a bid to improve supply at the desert town, an official said on Monday.

The three new wells are part of a project which seeks to provide additional water to the residents of Petra District, according to Omar Salameh, the spokesperson of the Ministry of Water and Irrigation.

The project also entailed the construction of water reservoirs, operation rooms and the installation of 12 kilometres of pipelines, according to Salameh.

Tourism Minister Lina Annab announced that the first regional conference on “Tourism in the Middle East and North Africa [MENA]: Competitiveness for Sustainable Growth”, will be held on November 13 and 14 at the Grand Hyatt Amman Hotel.

AMMAN — A total of 2,609 people visited the tombs of Prophet Mohammad’s companions in the Southern Mazar in May, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported on Thursday.

Mohammad Sarairah, the supervisor of the shrines, said that 1,553 of the visitors came from Muslim countries, 373 visitors were Arabs and 683 were Jordanians. The shrines house the tombs of Jafar Bin Abi Taleb, Zaid Bin Haretha and Abdullah Bin Rawaha.

https://jordantimes.com/

 The drop in the level of the Dead Sea is causing grave concerns among environmentalists and planners in the region, with most of the drop caused by diversion in the headwaters feeding the sea, a geologist has said.

AMMAN — Illuminated decorations, crescents and stars have lit up downtown Amman in celebration of the holy month of Ramadan. 

The illuminated decorations have turned the city centre into the main hub for Jordanians, who flock to downtown Amman right after the end of the fast-breaking iftar meal, often staying until the start of suhoor before dawn.

Initiated by the Amman Chamber of Commerce (ACC), the illuminations are part of a campaign implemented in cooperation with the Greater Amman Municpality and the Arab Bank, according to an ACC statement. 

Among Jordanians, the city of Jerash is famous for its high quality, fresh dairy products, which are still prepared using traditional methods. 

Visitors to Jerash often purchase Labaneh Jarashiyeh, a kind of strained yoghurt, which is a signature product of the city, 48km north of Amman. 

AMMAN — The Petra Development and Tourism Region Authority (PDTRA) recently floated tenders for investment projects in Petra city worth JD100 million, PDTRA President Mohammad Nawafleh said on Wednesday.

Residents of Wadi Rum have complained of Tourism Ministry’s ban on tourists’ trips to their area, insisting that the area is safe for guests and unaffected by tribal protests over the Jafer case.

The Ministry of Tourism on Saturday instructed tour operators not to take tourists to Wadi Rum, according to a ministry document obtained by The Jordan Times on Monday.

AMMAN — The Institute for Economics and Peace (IEP) on Thursday released its eleventh edition of the Global Peace Index (GPI), ranking Jordan 95th out of 163 countries.

Published annually, the report ranks 163 independent states and territories according to their level of peacefulness, based on a comprehensive data-driven analysis on trends in peace, its economic value and ways to develop peaceful societies

The Central Bank of Jordan (CBJ) said on Sunday that the kingdom saw a rise in tourism revenues by 14.5% during the first half of the year to a total of $2.1 billion.

In a press release, the CBJ attributed the rise in the sector’s income to the growth in the number of tourists by 9.9% year-on-year.

AMMAN — Royal Jordan Airlines on Wednesday announced plans to operate two weekly direct flights between Aqaba and Dubai as of June 8, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

Aqaba Special Economic Zone Authority Chief Commissioner Nasser Shraideh said that the flights will enhance tourism, as the UAE is the biggest investor in Aqaba, 330km south of Amman, with a value of $10 billion.