Urdun Jannah programme helps tourism sector rebound from pandemic

AMMAN — The “Urdun Jannah” programme, which encourages domestic tourism, has attracted over 72,000 tourists since the beginning of the year.

Urdun Jannah, supported by the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities and the Jordan Tourism Board (JTB), is a subsidised programme that covers 50 per cent of the cost of each trip for Jordanians.

The number of buses that transported tourists from the Kingdom’s various governorates stood at 2,014, with each bus carrying a tour guide, meaning the total number of tour guides allocated stood at 2,014 as well, according to a joint statement issued by the Tourism Ministry and the JTB on Thursday, cited by the Jordan News Agency, Petra. 

The statement added that 4,800 participants joined the Urdun Jannah programme during the Independence Day holiday. 

The statement noted that the programme provides free transport on well-equipped tourist buses that depart from all governorates to the programme's designated tourist attractions, as well as supplies meals for participants. 

The tourism sector contributes 12.4 per cent to the national GDP, according to Urdun Jannah’s website. 

Moreover, almost 55,000 employees work in the tourism sector, the website added. 

Ahlam Serhan, an adventure tourism guide, told The Jordan Times that the initiative has played a “major role” in countering the pandemic’s impact on the sector.

“Tourism activities were interrupted for over two years,” Serhan added. 

She stated that tourism income is the “only” income for hundreds of families living in Wadi Rum, Petra and Wadi Musa. 

She added that she “witnessed many incidents where people had to sell-off their assets to feed their children during the COVID-19 pandemic”. 

“We are overly excited for the tourism rebound the Kingdom is witnessing,” she noted.