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Ammon News -

Minister of Tourism and Antiquities, Nayef Al-Fayez, said that the government’s support to the tourism sector, within its 2021-2023 economic priorities program reflects the sector's importance as a key pillar to the national economy.

Al-Fayez told the Jordan News Agency (Petra) that the tourism sector is significantly contributing to providing jobs for Jordanian labor, supporting and developing local communities.

Al-Fayez said that the government’s priorities in the next two years, which were aligned with the National Tourism Strategy for the years (2021-2025), are based on restoring the number of tourists at similar levels to 2019, and increasing the number of tourists arriving annually by easing restrictions and creating a balance with public health and safety requirements imposed by the Coronavirus pandemic.

He added that the government's priorities in supporting the sector come through continuing to support charter and low costs flights, and reviewing legislation, with the aim of enhancing the competitiveness of the sector, facilitating the arrival of tourists, launching the new tourism identity for Jordan, in addition to developing and promoting tourism products and services (religious tourism, medical tourism, adventures, conferences), the launch of electronic visas and promotion campaigns to Jordanian tourism in target markets.

During the pandemic and in order to alleviate burdens on the tourism sector, the ministry worked to create a tourism risk account to face challenges that the sector may face in the future, in addition to providing financial facilities to the tourism sector and the necessary support to help it maintain the sustainability of tourism professions and human resources and ensure the continuity of operations, Al-Fayez explained.

He pointed out that the Coronavirus has significantly affected the tourism sector, as it is considered one of the most affected economic sectors and the last of which to recover.