Ammon News - The first nine months of 2022 saw a significant increase in sales for tourist restaurants in the Kingdom compared to the previous two years, when the coronavirus pandemic had been in full swing, head of the Jordan Restaurants Association (JRA), Issam Fakhreddin, said on Tuesday.

Speaking to the Jordan News Agency (Petra), Fakhreddin said because of the relaxation of regulations and precautions imposed on various sectors, including tourist restaurants and summer festivals and events, the restaurant industry has recovered 80 percent of its pre-pandemic sales.

He noted that since the start of 2022, about 82 tourist establishments in the Kingdom of various types and classifications have joined the JRA.

Fakhreddin also highlighted the sector's key challenges, most notably the shortage of trained and qualified Jordanian labors, and the high operational costs such as power prices, and licensing fees.

He explained how the pandemic forced qualified workers to switch industries, migrate to the Gulf countries, or go back to their home countries.