Jordan Tourism Board (JTB) aims to pump in over $ 8 million in 2010 to promote the sector that contributes 16 per cent to its GDP.
JTB, offering about five key products on cultural, leisure, religious, shopping, MICE travel was showcased at the ‘Fourth World Gujarati Conference’ in Ahmedabad recently.
Talking to Business Standard, Ashish Sharma, Marketing Consultant, Jordan Tourism Board said, “The year 2009 saw a drop in Indian tourists to Jordan due to the economic slowdown. As compared to the 38,000 Indian tourists in 2008, about 30,000 visitors came to Jordan in 2009. This year we are expecting a rise of 15-20 per cent which would bring the number of visitors to 2008 levels.”
He further said that the overall budget for tourism this year would be close to $ 8 million. The three day event was organized by Vishwa Gujarati Samaj earlier this week in Ahmedabad.
“Through this participation, our objective is to create awareness among consumers. India is a key market for Jordan in the coming years. For Jordan, India currently ranks among the top five trading partners and the focus on tourism has clearly increased, as India has not been affected largely by the slowdown. Our objective is to develop high-end leisure and MICE segment from Gujarat.”
The Jordan Tourism Board (JTB) officially launched in March 1998 with a representative office located in New Delhi. The country would also look into participating in Vibrant Gujarat Global Investors Summit to be held next year, Sharma said.
