Amman, July 14, (Petra) – In a major bid to shield the tourism industry from ongoing economic headwinds, the Social Security Corporation (SSC) has approved an unprecedented financial relief package for hospitality businesses and their auxiliary industries. Under the new directive cleared by the SSC board of directors, eligible tourism establishments can now restructure their outstanding debts into installment plans carrying a heavily subsidized annual interest rate of just 1 percent. To further ease the cash-flow crunch, businesses can defer their initial installment payments all the way until April 2027.

The sweeping rescue measures are the direct result of urgent collaborative sessions between the SSC, the Minister of Tourism, and regional officials, who have been scrambling to draft safety nets for hard-hit businesses, particularly those operating in the severely impacted Petra region. The intervention also follows extensive consultations with key industry voices, including the Jordan Hotels Association and the Jordan Inbound Tour Operators Association, to address mounting systemic pressures.

The SSC announced that primary tourism establishments looking to leverage these emergency payment terms can begin submitting their applications at any SSC branch starting next Monday. For supporting businesses and closely linked auxiliary services, the process requires an extra step: operators must first secure an official certification verifying their industry ties from the Ministry of Tourism, the Aqaba Special Economic Zone Authority, or the Petra Development and Tourism Region Authority, before filing their installment applications with the SSC.

//Petra// AA