Ammon News - AMMONNEWS - It has been a tough few years for tourism in some Middle East states, due to conflict.

Being surrounded by Syria, Iraq. Egypt and Saudi Arabia has meant Jordan’s healthcare system is struggling to deal with millions of refugees plus people injured by conflict in other countries or seeking an escape from their own failing health system.

The Royal Jordanian airline and the Jordan Hospitals Association (JHA) have a new deal to seek to reboot medical tourism in the country.

The strategic partnership will aim to coordinate with the Ministry of Tourism and the Jordan Tourism Board (JTB) to boost Jordan’s medical tourism.

RJ will seek to promote Jordanian medical capabilities around the world at its 50 stations worldwide.

Although Jordan is one of the more stable countries in the region, recent travel industry research shows that potential tourists tend to look at the Middle East region as a whole rather than individual countries. This is particularly true of American and Western European countries where much media coverage can range from simplistic to very biased.

Jordan does have many modern hospitals. 64 private hospitals have earned national accreditation, with nine having international accreditation.

The government has adopted a package of measures to upgrade medical tourism though creating an investor friendly environment .New investment legislation offers incentives and exemptions to companies willing to invest in the hospital industry, as the country will need more hospitals soon.

That Jordan’s s tourism industry has been struggling badly is demonstrated by the decision to waive the 40 dinar ($57) visa fee for incoming tourists to make visits to Jordan more affordable. The kingdom’s 15 dinar ($21) departure tax will also be waived for all flights from Aqaba and Amman, on condition that visitors buy a ticket to a tourist site and spend a minimum of three consecutive nights in Jordan. Details about how this exemption works are unclear – this tax is not charged separately but factored into overall airplane ticket fees. The Jordan Tourism Board expects these changes to be in place by September.

Royal Jordanian, the national airline carrier, will offer discounts for flights bought as part of a package, and hotels in Amman, Aqaba, and along the Dead Sea are offering promotional room rates to attract guests.

Even the Jordanian travel industry and government admit that Jordan’s tourism industry has been hit badly by world perception of terrorism and war. Security concerns arising from conflict in neighbouring Syria, Iraq, Israel and Gaza spill across the entire region.

The new measures aim to encourage travellers to add Jordan to their next itinerary and may help to promote the country as an accessible, safe, and inviting destination.

Travel figures are confusing as it is impossible to separate tourists from the increased numbers of aid workers, NGO workers and media using the country as a regional base and transit point.

Jordan’s hospitals have talked up medical tourism but it is impossible to believe that tourism is struggling badly but medical tourism is thriving. Although Jordan does get patients from the Middle East and North Africa claims on international patient numbers are broad guesses and do not split medical tourists from refugees or victims of conflict in Gaza, Egypt, Syria, Iraq, Lebanon and African countries such as Chad.


*IMTJ