The government is optimistic for tourism in 2024* The Ministry of Tourism aims to increase the number of tourists to reach 5.367 million tourists*No allocations for low-cost/scheduled and charter aviation marketing campaigns* JD16.5 million to launch campaigns to promote the Jordanian tourism product* JD74 million in allocations to support the projects of the Tourism Promotion AuthorityAhmad Al Hyari-The government was optimistic about the reality of the tourism sector in the draft budget for next year, despite all the geopolitical tensions and the consequences of the Israeli aggression on the Gaza Strip, to base its assumptions in the draft budget for 2024 on a possible recovery in the tourism sector in Jordan in terms of the number of tourists arriving, the income generated, and even the number of workers in the sector.The draft budget of the Ministry of Tourism for next year has placed among its first priorities increasing the number of tourists to reach 5.367 million tourists and about 170,000 participants in the "Urdun Jannah" program.The Ministry also aims to increase tourism income next year, reaching JD4.989 billion of gross domestic product in 2024.Tourism Ministry also aims, within the draft budget in 2024, for the number of workers in the tourism sector to reach 72.8,000 workers, through training and qualifying 1,600 job seekers, providers of tourist services and experiences, and workers in the tourism sector, in addition to training 100 employees of the ministry in 2024.It is noteworthy that the Ministry of Tourism, within its draft budget and its review of the most important issues and challenges facing it, did not place geopolitical tensions and the Gaza war among its priorities, but rather was satisfied with the seasonality of tourism, investment in the tourism sector, employment in the tourism sector, the lack of qualified human resources, air connectivity with the targeted markets, and land connectivity between tourist sites, competitiveness with the countries of the region, and prolonging the length of stay for tourists are the most prominent of these issues and challenges that it faces.Among the striking changes in the ministry's budget approach in 2024, related to low-cost/scheduled aviation marketing campaigns, no allocations were made for it despite the disbursement of JD36.1 million(re-estimated) during the current year, in addition to stopping the charter aviation marketing campaigns after disbursing approximately JD4.7 million during the current year (re-estimate).Instead of these campaigns, the ministry decided to link Jordan with tourism exporting destinations with "regular, charter, low-cost" aviation marketing campaigns, with an expected value of JD36.5 million.The ministry also allocated JD16.5 million to launch campaigns to promote the Jordanian tourism product.The value of investments in the tourism sector in 2023 amounted to about JD50 million, with the expected value of investments for next year reaching JD100 million, according to the performance measurement indicator of the ministry contained in the draft budget for the year 2024.The total number of tourists to Jordan, according to the index, during the current year reached 5.56 million tourists.The capital expenditures of the Ministry of Tourism in the draft budget for next year increased by JD5.224 million, and this increase was concentrated in the project to support the projects of the Jordan Tourism Board in the amount of JD4.643 million, the project to rehabilitate and develop visitor centers by JD500 thousand, the project to manage the national tourism promotion program by JD231 thousand, and the reduction of the remaining projects by JD150 thousand.It is noteworthy that the Ministry of Tourism raised the allocations to support the projects of the Jordan Tourism Board for the next year to reach JD74 million, compared to JD69.357 million allocated in 2023. (ICE AMMAN)

Fonte notizia: ammoun news