Amman, June 24 - The Senate Tourism and Heritage Committee, headed by Senator Michel Nazzal, discussed the most prominent challenges facing the sector during its meeting with heads of tourism associations on Tuesday.
Nazzal emphasized that the tourism sector is one of the most important sectors in achieving economic growth, providing job opportunities for Jordanians, and developing the local community. He noted that the sector enjoys royal attention due to its contributions to providing the Jordanian economy with hard currency.
He pointed to the need to find appropriate solutions to the difficulties and challenges this sector has faced since the COVID-19 pandemic and its negative impact on the sector, as well as the political conditions in the region, most notably the war on the Gaza Strip.
For his part, the committee's rapporteur, Senator Sharhabeel Madi, highlighted the importance of overcoming the obstacles and challenges facing this sector and addressing the impactful circumstances with all seriousness and awareness, highlighting the royal interest in the tourism sector through the Economic Modernization Vision.
The association heads spoke about the work and roles of their associations, which resumed operations after the COVID-19 pandemic, until the political circumstances facing the region emerged. They emphasized the importance of working effectively and partnering with the public sector to overcome the obstacles and challenges facing the tourism sector.
The association heads stated that the tourism sector is one of the most important sources of national income, generating approximately 6 billion dinars for the state and providing thousands of job opportunities. However, its continuity is threatened by the lack of adequate government support. They noted that the low profit margin has made it difficult to protect their projects during crises due to high costs.
They highlighted several demands, including deferring bank loans, reducing taxes, facilitating the entry of foreign nationalities, focusing on marketing religious, medical, and congress tourism, and facilitating tax exemptions and licenses.