Jordan Tourism Board has witnessed an increase in demand from the Indian market. One of the major reason for this demand can be attributed to the production of the Bollywood movie ‘Krrish 3’, in the deserts of Wadi Rum. Speaking about the growth in tourist arrivals from India, Ashit Taneja, Country Manager, Jordan Tourism Board said, “India is one of the most promising and upcoming source markets for Jordan. It is an extremely important target market as there is a tremendous scope to increase the Indian arrivals into Jordan. Given the fact that the tourism dynamics are changing in the region, keeping the steady rate is an achievement. We are hopeful that all the efforts we put in the last few years will aid us in achieving more visitors in the current year. Also, Jordan has created a buzz in Bollywood post the release of the blockbuster movie ‘Krrish 3’.”
After the success of this Bollywood movie, many production houses from India have approached Jordan. Taneja added, “Many production houses have approached Jordan Tourism with proposals for shooting movies in the picturesque locales of Jordan. The influence of Bollywood in Tourism industry is prominent and will surely increase in the coming years. Keeping these trends in consideration, we are now rigorously focusing on Bollywood and encouraging production houses to shoot in Jordan.”
The region where Jordan is located is still under unrest situation. But, despite these circumstances, Jordan is positioned as one of the safest destinations. Speaking about the overall tourism scenario Taneja added, “Jordan remains a safe destination that offers diversified tourism experiences. People of Jordan remain as welcoming and hospitable as ever, greeting guests with open arms and a warm smile. Jordan is a family friendly destination as it is one of the safest countries to travel in the Middle East. Tourists are pouring in from all over the world and enjoying Jordan’s cultural and family-oriented cities of Amman, Petra, Dead Sea, Wadi Rum and Aqaba. Indians are becoming increasingly adventurous and thirsty for new destinations and experiences. This enables us to bring to their notice the vast potential of Jordan as a complete MICE, family holiday, wedding and honeymoon destination. Jordan has a lot to offer in terms of historic sites, wellness, culture, religious, and leisure options. Amman, Wadi Rum, Petra, Aqaba and the Dead Sea are all unique sites and give a 360-degree diverse experience to the traveller as it includes the sea, mountains, desert and a number of historical and architectural highlights.”
To further tap the Indian wedding segment Jordan Tourism Board recently held a Mega Wedding Planners FAM to Jordan from India. The participants were from prominent wedding planning companies from Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore and Ahmadabad. “Three wedding planners are already working on a wedding query to Jordan. We are just waiting for a start to happen and hopeful that the first wedding will help to get more weddings in Jordan,” said Taneja.
Connectivity-wise Jordan is well connected with India. Almost all Middle- Eastern airlines offer multiple connections to Jordan across India. Air Arabia in particular flies from 13 Indian cities and has offered special summer promotional rate.
