AMMAN — Jordan is seeking to attract more Muslim tourists to visit historical sites such as Yarmouk and Mutah as well as the tombs of the prophet’s companions, according to the Jordan Tourism Board (JTB).
JTB Director General Abed Al Razzaq Arabiyat said in a statement made available to The Jordan Times that the board is seeking to focus more on religious tourism and to market Jordanian attractions in countries with large Muslim populations such as Indonesia and Malaysia.
To serve this goal, Arabiyat said JTB has taken part in a mobile exhibition of Hajj and umra (the greater and lesser Muslim pilgrimages) in the two countries.
JTB has organised campaigns to market visits to Jordan for pilgrims performing Hajj and umra in Mecca and Medina, following the conclusion of their pilgrimage to the holy cities in Saudi Arabia.
Participation in this touring exhibit helped JTB establish cooperation with religious tourism agencies in these countries, Arabiyat noted.
Jordan has a lot to offer religious tourists, be they Muslim or Christian, Arabiyat said, as the country is located between Mecca, the holiest of cities to Muslims, and Jerusalem, which is holy to followers of the three monotheistic religions.
The country’s status has been highlighted in the Bible as many prophets and saints mentioned in the Torah, the Bible and the Koran had links to Jordan, one way or another, the JTB director added. “They have either lived on its land, or passed through its territory,” he noted.
The Kingom hosts key sites to Christianity such as the Baptism Site and Mount Nebo, as well as some of the oldest churches in the world.
