Tourism in Jordan
Jordan is a sovereign Arab state in the Middle East. The capital, Amman, is Jordan's most populous city as well as the country's economic, political and cultural centre.
Major tourist attractions in Jordan include
In 2017, Jordan recorded more than 3.8 million tourists.[1]
Main tourist destinations
Ancient sites
- Petra in Wadi Musa, home of the Nabataeans, is a complete city carved in a mountain. The huge rocks are colorful, mostly pink, and the entrance to the ancient city is through a 1.25 km narrow gorge in the mountain—called the Siq. In the city are various structures, all (except 2) are carved into rock, including Al-Khazneh – known as the Treasury – which has been designated as one of the "New 7 Wonders of the World" by the for-profit New Open World Corporation. Other major sites of interest in Petra include the Monastery, the Roman theater, the Royal Tombs, the High Place of Sacrifice. The ruins of Petra were rediscovered by Swiss explorer Johann Ludwig Burckhardt in 1812. It was inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1985.
- Umm Qais, a town on the site of the ruined Hellenistic–Roman city
- Jerash is famous for its ancient Roman architecture, with colonnaded streets, Corinthian arches, outdoor Roman theaters and the Oval Plaza.
- Shoubak with its Crusader castle, "Crac de Montreal", marking both the eastern and southern frontier of Crusader expansion.
- Ajloun has a medieval Crusader castle
- 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.
- Qusayr 'Amra, one of the best preserved Umayyad Islamic period monuments. Its interior walls and ceilings are covered with unique frescoes, and two of the rooms are paved with colourful mosaics. It, too, is a World Heritage Site.
- Umm ar-Rasas, inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2005, these ruins show a mix of Roman, Byzantine and early Muslim architecture. Among its treasures is the largest church mosaic floor in the country; newer discoveries are possible as the site has not been completely excavated.
Religious tourist sites
- Muwakir (Arabic for Machaerus) was the hilltop stronghold of Herod the Great. Upon Herod's death, his son Herod Antipas inhabited the fortress, and ordered John the Baptist to be beheaded there and where the fabled Salomé daughter of Herodias is said to have danced the famous Dance of the Seven Veilsthus asking for John the Baptists' head.
- Al-Maghtas, which is the place on the Jordan 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.
- .
Seaside sites
- Edomite ruins. Aqaba also has a vibrant nightlife scene especially on holiday weekends when thousands of wealthy Jordanians visit the coastal city. Numerous raves and concerts are held by international DJ's and artists at the major resorts and beach clubs.[2] Aqaba is seeing nearly $20 billion worth of developments centered on tourism and real estate projects transforming the city into a "new Dubai".
- The . In addition, there are water parks, a public beach and international restaurants. The ultra-chic destination in the area, however, is the O-Beach which is home to cabanas, bars, international restaurants, and a beach club.
Sightseeing
- Hashemite Plaza, Nymphaeum and the smaller Odeon amphitheater. In addition to these archaeological sites, the modern city of Amman has numerous performance spaces, parks, museums, restaurants, commercial districts, and modern cultural and historical sites of interest, such as Wasat al Balad, Al Hussein Public Parks, the Jordan National Gallery of Fine Arts, King Abdullah Mosque, and Abu Darwish Mosque.
- Mahis with its religious sites.
- T.E. Lawrence; some scenes in Lawrence of Arabiawere filmed here. In the late 2000s it was inscribed as a World Heritage Site for its natural and cultural heritage.
- Irbid, Jordan's second largest city, is home to several museums and malls as well. However, the main reason for foreigners visiting the city is the plethora of universities that the cities host with Jordan University of Science and Technology and Yarmouk University being the two most prominent. The city hosts a large student population from all across Jordan, the Middle East and further afield. Irbid's University Street is home to the most internet cafes per mile in the world.[4]
- Fuheis, a town about 20 minutes north-west of Amman known for its traditional 18th and 19th century churches and turn of the century provincial Jordanian architecture.
- The number of available activities and things to do in Jordan is increasing all the time, even though the COVID-19 pandemic did slow the pace of development of new attractions.
Museums
Jordan has a diverse and growing number of museums which serve Jordanian and international visitors alike. Several museums in the capital, Amman, are listed by the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities.
Outside of Amman, there are a number of museums focusing on art, archaeology, ethnography and natural history. Overlooking the Baqa'a Valley just north of Amman is the Sami Hindiyeh Art Gallery (opened 2017) with its extensive modern art collection from across the Arab world. In the historic city of as-Salt, there is the Abu Jaber Museum, which focuses on late Ottoman and early 20th century history and traditions, as well as an historic house containing the as-Salt Archaeological Museum. There are numerous agritourism developments in the verdant north of Jordan near Salt, such as the ones in and around the archaeologically rich village of Gilead, namely the Mountain Breeze Resort and those affiliated with BookAgri, which aims to encourage the local farmers to showcase their traditional way of life to visitors. In Madaba, south of Amman, there is the Madaba Archaeological Museum, an Interpretive Center at St. George's Church, home of the Madaba Map, as well as a small museum at nearby Mount Nebo. The Dead Sea Panorama Complex contains an informative museum focusing on the natural history and geology of the Dead Sea. Nearby in Ghor es-Safi is the Lowest Point on Earth Museum, which displays important archaeological discoveries from this region of the South Jordan Valley. The Petra Museum (opened 2019), is located at the entrance of the World Heritage Site of Petra and presents around 300 objects from the Petra region, ranging from prehistory to the present day.[6]
There are several smaller regional or site museums focused on archaeology found across Jordan including the Dar as-Saraya Museum, Irbid, the Museum of Jordanian Heritage at Yarmouk University, also in Irbid, the Karak Archaeological Museum, Karak, the Jerash Archaeological Museum and Jerash Visitor Center, as well as museums at Umm Qais, Aqaba, and Qasr al-Hallabat.
Nightlife
Jordan, most specifically
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.
- Wadi Araba. Dana is home to about 600 species of plants, 37 species of mammals and 190 species of birds.
- Kerak and Madabamountains 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.
- Byzantine mosaics.
Visitor statistics
Most visitors arriving to Jordan were from the following countries of nationality:[8][9]
Country | 2016 | 2015 | 2014 |
---|---|---|---|
Saudi Arabia | 756,989 | 883,884 | 1,057,604 |
Palestine | 693,454 | 611,601 | 542,059 |
Egypt | 244,418 | 258,366 | 249,561 |
United States | 166,441 | 161,013 | 160,766 |
Iraq | 142,044 | 158,364 | 224,596 |
Israel | 141,881 | 154,316 | 176,032 |
Syria | 136,973 | 193,966 | 421,166 |
Kuwait | 89,994 | 92,343 | 91,069 |
United Kingdom | 64,766 | 60,820 | 73,702 |
India | 57,720 | 49,755 | 54,129 |
Germany | 57,497 | 47,951 | 56,323 |
Yemen | 57,333 | 71,895 | 67,071 |
Total | 4,778,529 | 4,809,274 | 5,326,501 |
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
- Jordan Tourism Project (SIYAHA)
- Duration: 2005–2008
- Funding: $17,424,283 (estimated)[10]
- Implementing Partner: Chemonics International
- Jordan Tourism Project II (SIYAHA)
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 pipeline like the $1 billion Ayla Oasis.[12] With Jordan becoming increasing popular as a cruising destination, a new and modern cruise ship terminal is being constructed in the Marsa Zayed project.
See also
- World Tourism Organization
- Visa policy of Jordan
References
- ^ "Sector Profile: Tourism" (PDF). Jordan Investment Commission. 2018. Archived from the original (PDF) on 7 April 2022.
- ^ Kaufman, David (3 December 2006). "In Aqaba, Jordan, Sun and Sand in the Red Sea". The New York Times.
- ^ "The Dead Sea". Unia Worldwide Ltd. Archived from the original on 14 July 2018., NPR
- ISBN 1-85828-740-5.
- ^ "Where to go > Amman > Museums". Jordan Tourism Board. Archived from the original on 26 October 2019. Retrieved 7 October 2019.
- . Retrieved 13 June 2020.
- ^ "Clubbing In The Middle East". DJ Mag. Archived from the original on 5 April 2012.
- ^ "Table 2.2: Tourist Overnight and Same Day Visitors By Nationality during 2014 -2015". Jordan Ministry of Tourism & Antiquities. Archived from the original on 29 September 2018. Retrieved 30 April 2016.
- ^ "Table 2.2: Tourist Overnight and Same Day Visitors By Nationality during 2015 -2016". Jordan Ministry of Tourism & Antiquities. Archived from the original on 13 April 2018. Retrieved 14 October 2017.
- ^ "Jordan Tourism Project (SIYAHA)". U.S. Agency for International Development in Jordan. Archived from the original on 7 October 2011.
- ^ "Overview". Siyaha. Archived from the original on 10 August 2011. Retrieved 24 April 2011.
- ^ "ayla". aylaoasis.com. Archived from the original on 26 February 2011. Retrieved 25 April 2011.
External links
- Jordan Tourism Board
- Ministry of Tourism & Antiquities, Jordan
- Touristic Sites description and maps in King Hussein official memory website