Jordan talks Turkey

Unrest in Turkey's Taksim Square and earlier Egypt's Tahrir Square may have dissuaded increasingly outward-bound Indian tourists from planning holidays headed that way, but one country that is hoping to gain from this is the tiny kingdom of Jordan. As the crisis on Taksim Square intensifies, the Jordanian tourist authority has swung into action, issuing a press release on Tuesday encouraging Indian tourists to visit. In an oblique reference to the political disturbances around the nation, the press release says, "Decades of political stability, security and law enforcement have made it one of the top 10 countries worldwide in terms of safety and security." Jordan has also emphasised that it is no way affected by the strife in the region around it. True, but the problem is that most tourists usually take in Jordan as part of a longer visit to Egypt or Turkey, so its peaceful status doesn't count for much in that sense.