Visitors from gulf states up by 26 % to Jordan

The number of tourists visiting the Kingdom from the Gulf states increased by 26 per cent in the first eight months of the year, compared to the same period in 2010, according to a Ministry of Tourism report. The report, which was released yesterday, revealed that 827,132 tourists from the Gulf visited Jordan in the January-August period, with all of them spending more than one night in the country, compared to 658,197 in the same period of 2010, of which 54 per cent were classified as "transit tourists". Saudis accounted for 86 per cent of the total visitors from Gulf countries, standing at 718,000, a 45 per cent increase compared to the same period last year, when the figure stood at 496,000. The report attributed the increase in Gulf visitors to promotion campaigns conducted by the ministry in the Gulf states, in cooperation with other sector representatives, to compensate for the decline in visitors from other countries. The report also showed a 16 per cent growth in the number of visitors from African countries, with 11,689 African tourists visiting Jordan in the first eight months of the year compared to 10,096 in the same period of 2010. However, the number of European visitors dropped by 17 per cent, from 691,041 in the first eight months of 2010 to 574,625 this year. The report did not mention the total number of visitors and revenues in the January-August period. However, according to last month's report, tourist arrivals in the first seven months of this year dropped by 18 per cent to 3.9 million, compared to 4.8 million in the same period of 2010. Revenues generated by the tourism sector during the January-July period stood at JD1.188 million, dropping by 16 per cent from JD1.414 million in the same period in 2010, according to Central Bank of Jordan figures.