The Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan

Jordan is located in the northwest of the Arabian Peninsula, covering an area of 89,000 square kilometers. Jordan is a bridge connecting Europe and Africa, bordering Iraq, Saudi Arabia and Syria, and bordering Palestine and Israel on the west. This is a constitutional monarchy. The country has a population of about 10 million, mostly Arabs, and 90 percent of its residents are Sunni Muslims. In the west Asian countries, Jordan has a relatively high degree of secularization and is close to the West, especially the United States. It is a staunch ally of the United States in the Middle East. In the first decade of this century, the United States provided a total of 4.5 billion DOLLARS in aid to Jordan, while since the Syrian crisis in 2011, From 2011 to 2015, the United States provided A total of 2.7 billion DOLLARS in economic assistance to Jordan, of which 1.5 billion dollars was direct financial assistance. From 2013 to 2015, the US, through USAID, provided about us $1.25 billion, US $1 billion and US $1.5 billion in loan guarantees to Pay the interest and principal of Jordan’s sovereign bonds. Jordan has also received more than 1 billion euros in aid from the EU in the past 20 years, making it one of the largest recipients of EU aid.

After the Iraq war, Jordan actively repaired its relations with the Gulf states and applied to join the Gulf Cooperation Council. Whenever oil prices rise, Jordan’s leaders criss-cross the Gulf, trying to woo their brothers. At present, Saudi Arabia is the largest donor of aid to Jordan, while Kuwait has invested more than us $15 billion in Jordan.

It is worth mentioning that Jordan is also the largest recipient of refugees in the world, receiving about 1.3 million refugees from Syria alone. Over the past few decades, more than three million Palestinians have settled in Jordan, half of them naturalized, and Queen Rania of Jordan is descended from Palestinian refugees. Jordan has gained a good international reputation for its practical actions in the international humanitarian cause. Rania is known as the “Diana of the Arab world” for her active participation in social welfare assistance and her commitment to protecting the rights of women and children.

In Jordan’s economic and industrial structure, the annual income of tourism is 5.5 to 6 billion US dollars, accounting for about 40% of the national fiscal revenue. Then there is foreign currency, which Jordanians working abroad send home to the tune of $1 billion a year. Another pillar industry is phosphate and potash exports. Jordan is the second largest phosphate exporter among Arab countries, mainly to China. In addition, In pharmaceutical, food processing, leather, oil refining, cement and other industries, Jordan also has a certain market share in the international market.

Statistics show that in 2019, Jordan’s total GDP was 43.7 billion US dollars, and its per capita GDP was about 4,300 US dollars, ranking below the Middle East. However, Jordan’s economy has a good space for development in the post-epidemic era, and many Chinese experts are optimistic about Jordan’s future economic development.

In this country deep in the desert, the Ancient Roman Empire, the Arab Empire, the Crusades, the Turkish Empire and so on have left footprints; Amman, the capital, has its own ancient style and charm, with its charming mountain scenery, the mysterious “treasure cave” in Petra, the magnificent Roman theatre in Jerash and the fortified castle in Ajram. But Jordan’s most famous tourist attraction is the unsinkable Dead Sea. The Dead Sea is an inland saltwater lake, 392 meters below sea level, the lowest point on earth’s surface. Because of the salt content of the sea, people can read or sleep on it without sinking. The water from the Dead Sea is good for arthritis and rheumatism, and the black mud from the Dead Sea is a world-famous beauty product, providing raw material for many famous brand cosmetics.

According to the Jordan Times, 2019 was an “outstanding year of tourism” in Jordan, with tourism booming and making a significant contribution to the local economy.In 2019, a total of 5.36 million tourists visited China, up 9 percent year-on-year, an increase of 460,000. Petra had about 1.15 million visitors, up 38%, while Jerash had 55,446 visitors. Most visitors come from Europe, especially Spain, Italy, France and Germany. The number of overnight visitors increased to 4.5 million, up 8.1 percent year-on-year or 350,000. In 2019, Jordan’s tourism revenue reached 4.11 billion yuan, up 10.2% year on year. Revenue in December was $437 million, up 14 percent from a year earlier, while visitor numbers rose 16.9 percent. Tourism accounted for 13 per cent of annual GDP growth, employing 53,489 people. Employment in the industry is mainly reflected in hotels, travel agencies, restaurants, tourist shops, guide centers, diving centers, car rental, water sports and tourism transportation, among which hotel and restaurant employees account for 39% of the industry workers.

In 2019, 247,000 Jordanians were sold, up 98 percent year-on-year. Sales volume exceeded 18 million, up 97.8 percent. The increase was mainly due to continued promotion in Jordan, which attracted a large number of tourists. Jordan Pass is divided into three categories: Easy Jordan tour (70), Adventure Jordan (75) and Expert Jordan (80). Ticket holders can visit more than 40 sites in Jordan without entry visa fees. Jordan was the first Arab country to sell tourist passes.

Jordan’s tourism industry has been hit hard in recent years by the global pandemic of COVID-19. But with the epidemic easing, many experts believe Jordan’s tourism industry will recover quickly and develop further in the coming years. As a pillar industry of Jordan, the Jordanian government attaches great importance to the development of tourism in recent years and actively attracts tourists from all over the world to Jordan.