Jordan to host international tourism conference on Dead Sea

An international conference entitled "Opportunities for the tourism market at times of rapid change" is being organised by the Jordan Tourism Board for June 5 and 6 on the Dead Sea. The event is being held with the cooperation of the UN's World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) and with the backing of Jordan's King Abdullah II, and will attempt to answer questions on the situation of the global economy and the political, social, technological, legal and environmental guidelines of change and how these impact on tourism and investments. The conference will be attended by sector experts and figures from institutions and organisations such as UNESCO, UNCTAD, Heritage, Jordan's Aqaba Special Economic Zone Authority (ASEZA), representatives of the tourism industry, the hotel and transport sectors and public and private investment bodies. The opening ceremony will be addressed by Jordan's Minister for Tourism and Antiquity, Nayef H. Al Fayez, the head of the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC), David Scowsill, and the secretary general of the UNWTO, Taleb Rifai. There are swift changes in a context in which the needs of travellers are also changing, with certain areas of demand growing and others on the wane. How such needs evolve, how they can be met and which trends emerge from the demand of various sectors of the tourism industry are among the questions to be explored over the five sessions of the conference, organisers have explained to ANSAmed. There will also be focus on how to seize opportunities emerging from the rapid changes in market conditions, with emphasis on Jordan's experience in particular, and on the sector policies identified as priorities by the country's government in reaching strategic targets over the next 5 years. Another issue to be discussed will be the prospects of the air travel sector and its contribution to greater competition and sustainability within the tourism industry. Finally, an entire panel will be dedicated to ways of successfully promoting foreign direct investments in the sector, amid a current climate of uncertainty and relative lack of capital.(ANSAmed).