Amman, March 17 (Petra) -- The Senate Tourism and Heritage Committee, chaired by Senator Michel Nazzal, discussed the current state of the tourism sector during a meeting held on Tuesday.
The meeting was attended by Chair of the Lower House Tourism and Antiquities Committee MP Salem Al-Omari, Minister of Tourism and Antiquities Imad Hijazin, Deputy Governor of the Central Bank Khaldoun Washah, and Director General of the Social Security Corporation Jadallah Khlaileh.
Also present were Director General of the Association of Banks in Jordan Maher Al-Mahrouq, Executive Director of the Open Market and Public Debt Operations Department at the Central Bank Mohammad Al-Hazaimeh, and several other concerned officials.
Senator Nazzal emphasized the importance of strengthening partnerships between the legislative and executive authorities and acting with a national spirit to manage crises that have affected the tourism sector, from the repercussions of the Arab Spring and the COVID-19 pandemic to the current events in the Gaza Strip, highlighting the need for clear decisions to support the sector.
He noted that the tourism sector provides more than 70,000 jobs and generates around JD7 billion in revenue, warning that the loss of skilled personnel would take years to compensate for, stressing that human capital is the sector’s true strength.
Senator Nazzal called for the reinstatement of the "Sustainability" program, the provision of soft loans, and the granting of real grace periods of no less than 36 months after the crisis ends and tourism activity resumes to ease burdens on tourism establishments.
MP Al-Omari stressed the need to establish a fund for tourism sector development within the Ministry of Tourism to mitigate financial impacts arising from crises and risks faced by the sector.
Minister Hijazin outlined measures the ministry is taking to alleviate the crisis’s effects, including directing the "Urdun Jannah" program toward the most affected areas, such as Petra, Madaba, and Jerash, by offering subsidized programs, in addition to strengthening partnerships with Royal Jordanian Airlines to launch promotional tourism packages.
He added that work is underway to launch a platform targeting several regional markets, including Palestine, Iraq, Lebanon, Syria, Turkey, and Gulf countries, through land-based tourism as well as connecting Royal Jordanian with countries in the Maghreb.
Deputy Governor Washah confirmed that the Central Bank adopts flexible policies to support the tourism sector, including credit facilities and the possibility of deferring installments in light of the sector’s challenges.
Khlaileh noted that the tourism sector is currently among the hardest hit, pointing out that subscription payments for establishments have been divided into installments of up to 180 months to support their continuity.
//Petra// AF
