Tourism in Jordan
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Tourism is one of the most important sectors in Jordan's economy. In 2009, 3.5 million tourists from various countries visited Jordan[1], with tourist receipts amounting to about 3 billion dollars.
Its major tourist attractions include visiting historical sites, like the worldwide famous Petra (UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1985, and one of New Seven Wonders of the World), the Jordan River, Mount Nebo, Madaba, numerous medieval mosques and churches, and unspoiled natural locations (as Wadi Rum and Jordan's northern mountainous region in general), as well as observing cultural and religious sites and traditions.
Jordan also offers health tourism, which is focused in the Dead Sea area, education tourism, hiking, scuba diving in Aqaba's coral reefs, pop-culture tourism and shopping tourism in Jordan's cities. More than half of the approximate 4.8 Arab tourists in 2009, mainly from the Persian Gulf, said they plan to spend their holidays in Jordan.[2]
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[edit] Main tourist destinations
[edit] Ancient sites
- Petra in Ma'an, the home of Nabataeans, is a complete city carved in a mountain. The rocks are colorful, mostly pink, and the entrance to the ancient city is a 1.25 km narrow crack in the mountain - called the Siq. In the city are various structures, all (except 2) are carved into rock, including the al Khazneh - otherwise known as the Treasury - which was chosen to be one of the New Seven Wonders of the World. Other major sites of interest in Petra include the Monastery, the Roman theater, the Royal Tombs, and the High Place of Sacrifice. Petra was rediscovered for the western world by Swiss explorer Johann Ludwig Burckhardt in 1812.
- Umm Qais, a town located on the site of the ruined Hellenistic-Roman city of Gadara.
- Ajlun, famous for the Islamic Ajlun Castle.
- Jerash, famous for its ancient Roman architecture, including the colonnaded streets, arches, Roman theatres, and the Oval Plaza.
- Amman contains the Roman theater, in addition to several museums, where one may find remains of the Dead Sea Scrolls.
- Al Karak contains an important castle from the times of Salah al-Din, known as Al-Karak Castle.
- Umm el-Jimal, the so-called "Black Gem of the Desert", was once a town on the margins of the Decapolis. Rural and well to do, it was a fitting contrast to the surrounding busy cities. Its black basalt mansions and towers, some still standing three stories high, have long inspired poets.
- Montreal Crusader castle, less than an hour north of Petra. The ruins, called Shoubak or Shawbak in Arabic, are located in modern town of Shoubak. It dates from the same turbulent period as Karak. The fortress fell to Saladin only 75 years after it was raised. Inscriptions by his successors appear on the castle wall.
- Qasr Amra, one of the best preserved Umayyad Islamic period monuments and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Its interior walls and ceilings are covered with unique frescoes, and two of the rooms are paved with colourful mosaics.
- Umm ar-Rasas, UNESCO World Heritage Site
[edit] Religious tourist sites
- Jordan River, which is the river where Jesus was baptised by John the Baptist according to Christian tradition.
- Madaba is well known for its mosaics, as well as important religious sites such as The Madaba Map, the oldest surviving original cartographic depiction of the Holy Land and especially Jerusalem. It dates to the 6th century AD.
- Mount Nebo, where Moses was said to have gone to get a view of the Promised Land before he died, according to the Bible.
[edit] Seaside sites
- Aqaba is a town on the shore of the Gulf of Aqaba with numerous shopping centers, resorts, hotels and access to water sports.
- The Dead Sea - It is the lowest point on earth, 402 meters below sea level,[3] and becomes 1 meter lower each year.[4] It is located near River Jordan.
[edit] Sightseeing
- Amman is a modern city known for its shopping centers, hotels and an ancient Roman amphitheatre.
- Mahis with its religious sites.
- Wadi Rum is a desert full of mountains and hills located south of Jordan. It is popular for its sights in addition to a variety of sports that are practiced there, such as rock-climbing. It is also known for its connection to Lawrence of Arabia.
[edit] Natural reserves
Jordan has a number of natural reserves.
- Azraq Wetland Reserve - Azraq is a unique wetland oasis located in the heart of the semi-arid Jordanian eastern desert, managed by the Royal Society for the Conservation of Nature (RSCN). Its attractions include several natural and ancient built pools, a seasonally flooded marshland, and a large mudflat known as Qa'a Al-Azraq. A wide variety of birds stop at the reserve each year for a rest during their arduous migration routes between Asia and Africa. Some stay for the winter or breed within the protected areas of the wetland.
- Dana Biosphere Reserve - covers 308 square kilometres, composed of a chain of valleys and mountains which extend from the top of the Jordan Rift Valley down to the desert lowlands of Wadi Araba. Dana is home to about 600 species of plants, 37 species of mammals and 190 species of birds.
- Mujib Nature Reserve - the lowest nature reserve in the world, with a spectacular array of scenery near the east coast of the Dead Sea. The reserve is located within the deep Wadi Mujib gorge, which enters the Dead Sea at 410 metres below sea level. The Reserve extends to the Kerak and Madaba mountains to the north and south, reaching 899 metres above sea level in some places. Wadi Mujib enjoys a magnificent bio-diversity that is still being explored and documented today. Over 300 species of plants, 10 species of carnivores and numerous species of permanent and migratory birds have been recorded.
- Shaumari Wildlife Reserve - The Shaumari Reserve was created in 1975 by the RSCN as a breeding centre for endangered or locally extinct wildlife. Today, following breeding programmes with some of the world's leading wildlife parks and zoos, this small, 22-square-kilometre reserve is a thriving protected environment for some of the most rare species in the Middle East, as Arabian oryx, ostriches, gazelles and onagers, which are depicted on many 6th century Byzantine mosaics.
[edit] Investment
Jordan is investing heavily in its tourist infrastructure in the form of luxury hotels, spas, resorts, and massive real estate projects, as The "Abdali Urban Regeneration" Project and the "Marsa Zayed" in Aqaba. Luxury residential housing like Sanaya Amman and the Living Wall are attracting affluent Persian Gulf vacationers to buy property in Jordan.
Queen Alia International Airport is being expanded to handle 9 million passengers annually in the first phase; 12 million in the second phase.
Tourism Development Currently USAID is an active partner in the development of the tourism industry in Jordan with the continued support of the Jordan Tourism Development Project (Siyaha), currently in its second project lifecycle.
- Duration: 2005 - 2008
- Funding: $17,424,283 (estimated)[5]
- Implementing Partner: Chemonics International
- Duration: 2008 - 2013
- Funding: $28 million[6]
- Implementing Partner: Chemonics International
With the establishment of the Aqaba Special Economic Zone, nearly twenty billion dollars have been invested in Jordan's sole coastal city. Luxurious resorts such as Saraya Aqaba and Tala Bay are being constructed with more in the pipleline like the $1 billion Ayla Oasis[7]. With Jordan becoming increasing popular as a cruising destination, a new and modern cruise ship terminal is being constructed in the Marsa Zayed project.
[edit] References
- ^ Financial Express News
- ^ http://in.reuters.com/article/lifestyleMolt/idINTRE56K3CN20090721
- ^ The Dead Sea, Natural Resources Canada
- ^ Dead Sea's Water Level Receding Fast, National Public Radio
- ^ http://jordan.usaid.gov/project_disp.cfm?id=77
- ^ http://www.siyaha.org/project/overview
- ^ http://www.aylaoasis.com/
[edit] External links
- Jordan Tourism Board
- Ministry of Tourism & Antiquities, Jordan
- Touristic Sites description and maps in King Hussein official memory website
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