The second Jordan Travel Mart (JTM) was opened at the Dead Sea under
Royal Patronage with the participation of around 100 'Buyers' of
tourism products and services from the USA, Canada, Mexico, Central
America, and South America, who went down to the lowest spot on earth
to meet 180 Jordanian 'Suppliers' representing 60 hotels, receptive
operators, and other suppliers of Travel Services in the Kingdom.
Deputizing for Her Majesty Queen Rania, the Minister of Tourism and
Antiquities Maha al-Khateeb noted that in 2004 Jordan had launched the
National Tourism Strategy, which stipulated doubling tourism receipts
by the year 2010. She said 'today, I am proud to say that we have
surpassed that goal and we are in the process of updating our strategy
to set new goals.'
Mrs. Al-Khateeb said with the relentless efforts of the Jordan Tourism
Board, 2008 was one of the best years to date. She added that 'it was
characterized by impressive increases in tourist numbers from the USA,
Canada, Mexico, and Brazil.'
Addressing the JTM's opening session, Jordan Tourism Board Managing
Director Nayef al-Fayez stressed the importance of the American
markets, and said visitors from many South and North American countries
have had a unique opportunity to enjoy a variety of experiences the
Kingdom had to offer.
Al-Fayez said the Jordan Tourism Board is looking at expanding its
geographical representation to include China, India, and South America.
He said 'the potential of South America is great', and it is important to say that 30% of our JTM buyers represent this market.
The three-day event builds on the great success of the first Mart, and
includes seminars, workshops, 'networking' events, and pre-scheduled
appointments, as well as a variety of extensive pre- and post-event
tours.
This year's Jordan Travel Mart seminars focus on the Adventure Travel
segment of the Industry. National Geographic Adventure Magazine, The
Adventure Travel & Tourism Association and the Royal Society for
the Conservation of Nature (RSCN) will conduct a special 'Adventure
Travel' seminar.
25 international travel industry journalists from the Americas,
including reporters from USA Today and the National Geographic, are
attending the event and will travel on specially planned tours of
selected destinations.
The Jordan Travel Mart is held with the sponsorship of the Kempinski,
Marriott, and Moevenpick resorts at the Dead Sea, Royal Jordanian, the
Airport International Group (AIG), Jordan Express Tourist Transport
Company (JETT), the Jordan Hotel Association (JHA), the Jordan
Restaurant Association (JRA), the Royal Society for the Conservation of
Nature (RSCN), The Jordan Inbound Tour Operators Association (JITOA),
and the King Hussein Bin Talal Convention Center, the Greater Amman
Municipality, Aqaba Special Economic Zone Authority, and USAID- Tourism
Development Design. Media Sponsors include the Performance Media Group
(PMG) and Baxter Travel Media.
