India, Jordan look to boost tourism cooperation

India will open a representative office in Jordan this year to promote the country as a tourism destination in the Kingdom and the region, an Indian official said on Wednesday. Indian Minister of Tourism Subodh Kant Sahai said both Amman and New Delhi designated 2012 as a “year for tourism development in the two countries” and will increase cooperation in the sector. “We will have a working group meeting very soon to discuss how to cooperate and increase tourist traffic between the two countries, as well as develop joint marketing programmes and human resources in the field,” Sahai told The Jordan Times, noting that the gathering will be held in Amman and attended by tour operators, hoteliers and media personnel. The minister noted that 70,000 Indians visited Jordan in 2011, while 25,000 came to the Kingdom in the first three months of this year. “We expect the figure to reach 100,000 visitors by the end of year,” he said, but noted that the number of Jordanians who visited India last year did not exceed 11,000. Sahai attributed the low number of Jordanians to the fact that “they do not know much about India”. That is why “we are organising a road show here”, he explained. The road show, titled “Incredible India”, was held in Amman on Wednesday evening to showcase India’s tourist attractions to tour operators and sector representatives. In response to a question on facilitating visa issuance for Jordanians, Sahai said this proposal will be studied, especially after the tourism ministers of the G-20 economies issued a declaration last month calling for priority to be given to travellers as a means to boost economic growth and create jobs. “We have 61 years of diplomatic relations with Jordan. So, I can say that we can work facilitating visa issuance for Jordanians.” In addition, many Jordanian students are studying in India, which is considered a main destination for “medical, wellness and education tourism as well”, the minister said. Meanwhile, Indian Ambassador to Jordan Radha Ranjan Dash noted that Indian investors own 27 garment factories in Jordan. “We are even trying to have a leather factory here, because we are experts in this industry,” the envoy said. Currently, 10,000 Indians live and work in Jordan, he noted.