'Yes, it's Jordan' tourism campaign targets expats, Gulf Arab countries

AMMAN — “Yes, it’s Jordan” is the new summer campaign tourism authorities are launching with catchy ads targeting nationals of Gulf countries and Jordanian expatriates there.

The campaign, which started in Dubai a few days ago, promotes the Kingdom as home to a variety of tourism products such as history and archaeology, adventure, natural attractions and modern life, according to Tohama Nabulsi, media and communications director at the Jordan Tourism Board (JTB). 

Nabulsi told The Jordan Times on Sunday that the promotion campaign has two pillars — the first targeting Jordanians living in the Gulf region as it seeks to encourage them to spend their annual holidays in the Kingdom. 

"Expatriates take long holidays every year in the summer, and most of them tend to travel abroad, as cheap flight tickets are available in the domestic market by low-budget airlines," she said, adding that the advertisements the JTB is launching aim at convincing them to spend their vacation in attraction-rich Jordan. 

The second pillar, the official said, is targeting nationals of Gulf Arab states by running advertisements for three types of tourism products available in Jordan. 

"Ads and TV commercials will be launched soon on historical and archaeological sites, adventures such as Wadi Rum and Dana and other places, while the third part is to market Jordan as a modern destination for shoppers and leisure vacationers," Nabulsi said. 

TV commercials will be broadcast on OSN TV entertainment network in addition to Al Arabiya and MBC1 channels, according to the JTB official, who added that special reports on medical tourism and on products made in Jordan as well as entertainment facilities for children will be aired by these broadcasters. 

Ads featuring tourist attractions in the Kingdom are currently placed on taxis, buses and bridges in Dubai

The campaign also includes radio commercials in English, she said, adding that they feature a dialogue between a wife and her husband, in which she tells him that she booked a place for vacation away from the hot weather but close by. 

The replies: "It is Jordan for sure".

The radio commercial will be translated into Arabic, Nabulsi said. 

Photos in the campaign include a variety of places across the Kingdom, she added, such as people enjoying green landscape in Ajloun and adventures in Wadi Rum. 

  The campaign, which targets the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Qatar and Kuwait, will start soon in Saudi Arabia, the JTB official said, adding that part of the drive includes online advertisements on major websites that see large traffic such as Kooora.com sports website.