Meeting convened to discuss travel agencies’ role as flights set to resume

AMMAN — The Ministry of Tourism and the Jordan Society of Tourism and Travel Agents (JSTA) on Sunday convened a meeting to examine methods of integrating travel agencies into the governmental work plan after the resumption of international flight operations in the Kingdom starting September 8.

The meeting was held following travel and tourism agents’ negative reactions to the recent announcement made by Transport Minister Khaled Saif regarding the resumption of regular flights, without mentioning the role of travel agencies amid the ongoing situation.

The meeting was attended by representatives of the JSTA, the Tourism Ministry and the sector. 

An agreement was reached on the formation of a technical commission, aimed to follow up and monitor the progress of travel agencies’ involvement in the government’s work plan, Head of the JSTA Mohammad Samih told The Jordan Times over the phone on Monday.

“The technical commission — composed of Tourism Ministry, the JSTA, Crisis Management Committee, Jordan Tourism Board and Jordan Hotel Association representatives — will be studying an adequate mechanism for involving travel and tourism companies and agencies in the work system, in order for the industry to open up and to start operating after six months of closure,” Samih said.

He noted that the ministry has been “cooperative and supportive” throughout the coronavirus crisis, and that the JSTA aims to support not only travel agencies but also “the entire tourism sector”.

“Travel agencies’ engagement in the governmental plan would revitalise the industry and is a positive step towards speeding the recovery,” he said.

Regular flight operations are to resume in accordance with three epidemiological classifications which include green, yellow and red countries, Saif said during a press conference at Queen Alia International Airport last week.