Middle East
Delegation Seeks to Restore Confidence in Travel to Jordan and Egypt
April 19, 2011
© Feynan Ecolodge Editor’s Note: ATTA President Shannon Stowell will represent the global adventure tourism community for the April 22 2011 undertaking. Ahead of this mission, the ATTA has queried outbound tour operators offering adventure in both Jordan and Egypt to learn of their questions, concerns and interests about tourism and the situation in the Middle East so that Shannon can present the most current industry-wide perspectives and voices to leaders in these destinations. Further, the ATTA has worked in partnership with colleagues in both Jordan and Egypt for years now – work that has resulted, in addition to strong relationships with tourism experts in the region, in commitment by Jordan to the ATTA in the form of sponsorship of its Adventure Travel World Summit, including the 2011 ATWS in Chiapas, Mexico, and has also led to the addition of Gateway to Egypt’s Manal Saad Kelig to the ATTA’s Advisory Board. LEXINGTON, Ky. ( April 19, 2011)—Leaders within... Read More →
New & Different
Iraq Tourism Hangs in Balance at Babylon
January 19, 2011
The Hanging Gardens of Babylon, as depicted by the artist Martin Heemskerck. Image: Carla216. An article on CNN.com (by B. Neild and M. Tawfeeq), as part of a special series titled “Inside the Middle East,” has documented the race to preserve the ruins of Babylon from looters and environmental damage. The government of Iraq and the World Monuments Fund are using the site, previously home to the Hanging Gardens and one of the seven wonders of the ancient world, to help develop skills which can then be used to protect and develop the country’s other major archeological sites, in the hopes these areas will soon be major draws for both academic and mainstream tourism. Despite the ongoing war, Iraq reportedly received 165 tourists between 2009 and 2010 from 16 counties. “Considering the security situation that Iraq is passing through, this number of foreign visitors gives a very good indicator of how important tourism is in Iraq and how big the tourism industry will... Read More →
Member Press Releases
JITOA Attending the “EMITT” in Istanbul Next Month to Boost Tourism from Turkey
January 11, 2011
The Jordan Inbound Tour Operators Association (JITOA) will represent Jordan at the 15th East Mediterranean International Travel and Tourism Exhibition (EMITT 2011) along with over 50 countries all over the world. EMITT is one of the growing tourism expos held in Turkey between 10th and 13th of February 2011. This participation is aimed at enhancing relations with the Turkish tourism market and further increase the number of inbound tourists from Turkey. According to the recent Turkish delegation visit that was headed by the President of Turkish travel agents association, he mentioned in his meeting with Jordan Minister of Tourism and Antiquities that Jordan is an important tourism destination for the Turkish market. He also stressed that the Turkish travel agents are ready to include Jordan in their programs. They discussed ways to cooperate in organizing combined tour packages with Jordan, Lebanon and Syria and establishing a tourist free area between them. Mr. Mohammad Samih, JITOA... Read More →
Industry Partner NewsOAG Reports Strong Air Service Growth in the Middle East
September 14, 2010
Washington, DC – Air service to the Middle East continues to expand, reports OAG (www.oag.com), the global leader in aviation intelligence. In its monthly Frequency and Capacity Trend Statistics (FACTS) report, OAG reports strong air service growth to the Middle East, increasing 11%, overall, in September. Dubai International Airport (DXB) is a strong contributor to that growth, increasing 14% in seat capacity, year over year. This and additional data is available in the September 2010 edition of OAG FACTS. September seat capacity and frequency in the Middle East increased 11%, both within and to and from the region. Total seat capacity to and from the region increased to 11.65 million, from 10.5 million a year ago; and the total number seats available within the region grew to 7.02 million from 6.31 million. “Much of the growth in the Middle East is spurred by increased flights in the region to a number of Asian and European destinations. Dubai International Airport... Read More →
Member Press ReleasesJITOA wins a one year grant from JEDCO/JSMP
August 30, 2010
The Jordan Inbound Tour Operators Association (JITOA) announce wining a grant worth 100.000 Euros from the Jordan Enterprise Development Corporation (JEDCO) and signed the grant agreement Monday for over one year period under the Jordan Services Modernisation Programme (JSMP) managed by JEDCO. The grant is funded by the European Commission (EC-Financed and JE managed) for implementation of the action entitled “Developing the Capacity of JITOA and its Members”. The grant aims at implementing several projects and activities within the association’s strategies to build on JITOA capacity development and sustainability through enhancing the performance and profitability of its members, and enhancing JITOA communication and networking channels within the tourism industry. Mohammad Samih, JITOA Chairman said “we anticipate quantifiable outcomes from the activities that will be implemented under this grant due to the various opportunities it will offer to our members and the tourism sector... Read More →
Industry Partner NewsContinental Airlines Announces New Daily Service From New York Hub To Cairo, Egypt
July 6, 2010
Continental Airlines (NYSE: CAL) today announced plans to launch nonstop flights between Newark Liberty and Cairo, Egypt, beginning May 18, 2011, subject to government approval. Cairo, the largest city in Africa and the Middle East, will be the 72nd international destination that Continental serves from its New York hub at Newark Liberty International Airport and the 30th city in Continental’s trans-Atlantic route network. Continental serves more nonstop destinations with more flights from the New York area than any other airline. Cairo is the third new international destination Continental has announced since May — the airline plans to begin daily service from its Houston hub to Lagos, Nigeria, beginning Nov. 10, 2011, and service to Auckland, New Zealand, beginning Nov. 16, 2011, subject to government approval. “We are excited to grow our international route network from the New York area by adding nonstop service to Cairo,” said Jeff Smisek, Continental’s... Read More →
Member Press Releases
JITOA Takes Part in Promoting Um-Al Rassas Archeological Site
June 22, 2010
A group of The Jordan Inbound Tour Operators Association (JITOA) members participated in a Familiarization (FAM) trip to Um-Al Rassas Ruins located south of Madaba governorate, on Saturday 19th June 2010, to learn about the recent developments carried out by the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities in cooperation with the Department of Antiquities and funded by the European Union, that was established to promote and protect the cultural heritage of the site. JITOA organized this trip in coordination with the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities to involve its members of tour operators and tour guides and keep them up to date on the recent site developments and to highlight the importance of marketing and promoting this cultural heritage site in their tourist programs. The trip included a visit to the Women of Mleih Association, one of the local associations in the municipality of Al-Lib and Mleih, which is specialized in producing local dairy products. The aim of this visit revolves in showcasing... Read More →
Cyclone Phet Affects Tourism in Oman & Pakistan
June 11, 2010
According to international media outlets, Oman and Pakistan have been hit by a deadly Cyclone, dubbed “Phet”, which has left two dozen dead in its wake. The ATTA will continue to receive updates from its contacts there as the situation hopefully improves. June 6 – From Eihab Travels: Dear Colleagues, friends, Oman was hit by Cyclone Phet last Thursday/Friday causing severe damages to certain areas of the country. Heavy rains and storms lashed the eastern cost of Oman including Muscat Governorate. A total of 24 people have been reported killed so far and many roads have been damaged. Some links to news below: http://www.timesofoman.com/echoice.asp?detail=37391&rand=IpINj1e16hnQk3uLYamYbJC3NW http://www.timesofoman.com/innercat.asp?detail=37390&rand=Zbe1PIaFVc7i4OqhN8gp0Qc5ww http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20100605/sc_afp/omanweathercyclonepakistan_20100605155404 The roads in Muscat is clear from all debris, there are no blockades, and life is back to normal in... Read More →
Member Press Releases
JITOA adopts Jerash Archeological Site for Greener Jerash
June 10, 2010
The Jordan Inbound Tour Operators Association (JITOA) announces the launch of Jerash Adoption Program 2010-2011 on the World Environment Day, 5th of June 2010; under the second phase of JITOA “Don’t mess with Nature” the national tourism environmental initiative. The initiative committee decided to adopt Jerash Archeological site for one year being one of the most visited tourism destinations in the kingdom, which requires implementation of some environmental practices and enhancements of the site view. Under the Jerash Adoption Program 2010-2011, JITOA will conducted a number of activities and campaigns during the month of June, July and August which will include cleanup campaigns, trash bins installation workshop, in-site signage maintenance, and environmental film screening and many more. The activities will focus on enhancing the overall view of Jerash natural and cultural recourses of the site and eliminate visual pollution. This initiative is supported by Jerash Municipality,... Read More →
Jordan Tourism Booms in the First Quarter
May 5, 2010
The first quarter of 2010 heralded good news for Jordan’s tourism sector in what could be another landmark year. Statistics by the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities and the by the Central Bank of Jordan have shown across-the-board increases in both visitor numbers as well as tourism receipts. The Ministry of Tourism has said overnight tourist numbers have jumped 33.4% during the first quarter to 883,450 people from a total of 662,075 in the same period of 2009. Same day visitors were up 17.6% to 651,325 people from 553,929 in 2009. The Ministry said overall numbers in the first quarter totaled 1,534,802 visitors compared to 1,216,004 in the same period of 2009, and representing a jump of 26.2%. With the exception of African visitors whose numbers have declined by 5%, all other regions have witnessed increasing numbers particularly from Europe. American visitors increased by 8.7%, Asia-Pacific nationals by 27%, South Asians by 29.4%, Arabs by 20.8%, and Europeans by 35.5%. Figures... Read More →
