Around 300 tour groups from the United States and Europe have cancelled visits to Jordan since the September 11 terror attacks on New York and Washington, a top tourism official said Wednesday, September 19.
"The recent attacks in the United States have resulted in a 10 percent cancellation in the number of tour groups who were due to visit Jordan in October and November," said Bishara Sawalha, head of the Jordanian association of travel agents and tourism.
Most of the some 300-tour cancellations come from Europe and the United States, Sawalha told the independent daily Al-Arab Al-Yawm.Statistics reveal that between 30 and 35 percent of each of the 36 five and four star hotels are currently occupied.
Tourism in Jordan took a bad beating following the outbreak of the Palestinian uprising against Israel in September 2000. The number of arrivals from the United States plunged 39.5 percent for the first eight months of this year compared with the previous year, while arrivals from Europe dropped by 30.1 percent. Tourism revenues also fell to $717 million in 2000 compared to $789 million the previous year.
The World Tourism Organization said on Tuesday that the terrorist attacks in the United States have struck "a terrible blow" at tourism with travelers worldwide canceling or postponing trips. ― (AFP, Amman)
© Agence France Presse 2001
© 2001 Mena Report (www.menareport.com)
