Minister of Tourism and Antiquities Meets with Parliamentary Committee to Address Tourism Sector Challenges

Minister of Tourism and Antiquities, Lina Annab, convened a meeting with the Parliamentary Tourism and Antiquities Committee, chaired by MP Wasfi Haddad. The gathering included several members of parliament and representatives from the tourism sector in Jordan and the Petra region, with Eng. Mohammad Al-Minha representing the Jordanian Restaurants Association. Also in attendance were the Secretary-General of the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities, the Director-General of the Department of Antiquities, the Director of the Jordan Tourism Board, the Director of the Tourist Police, and other sector representatives.

The meeting aimed to discuss the most prominent challenges facing the sector and ways to support it, especially in affected areas.

The Minister confirmed that regional conditions have negatively impacted the tourism sector. She clarified that the government has provided incentives, including covering the interest costs on new loans allocated to cover salaries and wages of employees in tourism establishments (excluding five-star hotels).

She noted that the Ministry has formed a special operations room to enhance coordination among all partners in the tourism ecosystem, both official and private entities, to ensure continuous and efficient operations.

Regarding indicators, the Minister explained that the number of visitors to the Kingdom increased by 8% in June and by approximately 18% during the first half of the current year. Tourism revenue also grew by 15% during the first five months, reaching approximately 2.16 billion Jordanian Dinars. She added that the number of tourists from the beginning of the year until the end of June reached about 3.3 million tourists, reflecting the sector's resilience and ability to recover despite challenges.

The Minister stressed that areas dependent on specific markets, such as Petra, were the most affected. She highlighted the Ministry's efforts to address cancellations by communicating with low-cost airlines and enhancing support for the local authority in Petra.

She indicated that the tourism sector's performance in 2025 is the best in ten years, with an increase in the number of GCC visitors, which had a clear positive impact on tourism revenue, according to Central Bank data.

For its part, the Parliamentary Tourism and Antiquities Committee recommended the necessity of opening new markets, focusing on religious tourism, updating promotional and marketing tools, providing financing solutions to support establishments, and studying proposals to reduce operational costs, especially in Petra.