AMMAN, March 17 (Xinhua) -- The ongoing U.S.-Israel war with Iran has delivered another shock to Jordan's tourism sector, which had only begun to show signs of recovery from the impact of Gaza.
Personnel in the sector are closely following the ongoing war, as its impact on global travel and tourism is clearly being felt.
Petra, Jordan's iconic UNESCO World Heritage Site, has seen a 100 percent cancellation rate of tourist bookings in March due to the war, according to Adnan Sawa'ir, chairman of the Board of Commissioners of the Petra Development and Tourism Region Authority.
Sawa'ir told Xinhua that cancellations for April bookings in Petra have reached 60 percent, while cancellations for May stand at 45 percent, noting that these figures are expected to rise further.
Sawa'ir said that the year 2026 began with promising indicators for tourist numbers in Petra, but these figures have since declined sharply, reaching zero at times due to the surrounding circumstances.
He noted that Petra is among the hardest-hit areas, while its economy relies heavily on tourism.
Tourism is a vital contributor to Jordan's economy. Spring is one of the most important seasons for tourism and travel agencies in the country. Before the outbreak of the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran, tourist activity was visibly increasing, with buses carrying visitors moving through the streets of Amman.
Mahmoud Khasawneh, president of the Jordan Tourism and Travel Agents Association, told Xinhua that the most affected tourist markets are the American and British tourists, in which the cancellation rate is nearly 100 percent, the Asian markets followed at 80 percent, and the decline in European markets ranged between 50 percent and 60 percent.
Hussein Hilalat, Chairman of Jordan Hotels Association, said that numerous flight cancellations from a wide range of international and Arab tourism markets have led to a sharp decline in hotel occupancy rates in tourist destinations across the country.
Michel Nazzal, Chairman of the Tourism and Heritage Committee in the Jordanian Senate, said Jordan's tourism sector is experiencing a "complex and protracted crisis."
Nazzal said the impact was no longer limited to a decline in operating profits, but has reached the point of putting "thousands of jobs" at risk and threatening the permanent exit of investments from the market.
Jordanian Minister of Tourism and Antiquities Imad Hijazeen said the country has established an emergency team to monitor the impact of the war on bookings and air traffic, adding the ministry is taking measures to support the tourism sector. ■
