ammonnews.net

Ammon News -

Prime Minister Bisher Khasawneh Monday inspected the progress of work in a number of public facilities during a tour of the governorate of Madaba, including Prince Hashem bin Abdullah II Youth City, the Visitors Centre, Madaba Institute for Mosaic Art and Restoration and St. George's Church and Mosaic Map.

He called for launching more tourism marketing programs for Madaba, both domestically and abroad, noting the region's distinctive tourist and religious sites and its impact on development and job opportunities in the governorate.

Khasawneh began his tour in Madaba, which was part of field visits he made across the Kingdom in line with royal directives to the government to intensify field work to improve the living standards and services to the public, with a visit to the Prince Hashem bin Abdullah II Youth City.

Accompanied by Minister of Tourism and Antiquities, Nayef Al-Fayez, Minister of Environment, Nabil Masarweh, State Minister for Follow-up and Government Coordination, Nawaf Al-Tal, Youth Minister Mohammed Salamah Nabulsi, and Madaba Governor Ali Madi, Khasawneh was briefed on the youth city, which houses sports facilities to serve youth and the local community in the governorate.

The city, the only sports facility on the "Our Jordan is Paradise" tourism project, includes halls, gyms, playgrounds and fitness, self-defense and swimming facilities, and work is underway to establish an eco-lodge at the site.

Khasawneh said the youth city, located to the south of Madaba, should be provided with public transportation for both youth and visitors.

The Prime Minister also stopped at the Madaba Visitors Centre and was briefed on an expansion project being carried out at a cost of 2 million dinars.

Madaba Tourism Director Wael Janini said that the region ranked second in 2019 in visitor and tourist numbers after Petra, with over 700,000 visitors, adding that the goal is to reach one million a year.

He pointed out that Madaba has the key characteristic of multiple religious, medical, recreational, cultural and adventure tourism products, adding that since the historic 2000 visit of Pope John Paul II to Jordan and Madaba, where five Christian pilgrimage sites were designated, the governorate has been witnessing a rise in domestic and foreign tourism.

The premier called on handicrafts shops, including rug-weaving for which the region is known, and talked with shop owners, voicing hope that tourism and economic recovery will pick up again after the pandemic.

During his visit to the Madaba Institute for Mosaic Art and Restoration, the only institute in the Middle East that grants a diploma in mosaic art, Khasawneh was briefed about the institute, where 120 students are currently enrolled, and its role in preserving the Kingdom's historical and cultural heritage and graduating specialists in mosaic restoration and preservation.

At St. George's Greek Orthodox Church, which contains one of the world's most important map and the oldest original map of the Holy Land, a mosaic piece dating back to 560 AD. The map with the names of 350 cities in Jordan and Palestine, is a tourist guide for visitors to Palestine via the Christian pilgrimage route.

In a meeting with Church leaders, the premier said that Jordanians, Muslims and Christians, are brought together by the bonds of brotherhood and love under the Hashemite leadership.

Accompanied by Minister of Industry, Trade and Supply Maha Ali, the Prime Minister stopped at the new Sukhtian Pharmaceutical facility in Naour District, an investment of 30 million dinars, where he assured of government support of the industry and its investments as an added value to the national economy.