Jordan has seen a rapid and remarkable recovery in its tourism sector, a government minister has said.
Tourism Minister Nayef Al-Fayez described the situation as reassuring, telling the Roya news outlet on Saturday that there had been more than 1.9 million visitors to Jordan from the start of 2022 until the end of June.
He said the return of expatriates was an important component of the country’s tourism economy and that tourism revenue was calculated by the Central Bank.
Al-Fayez said that while Jordan was not directly affected by the Ukraine crisis, the tourism sectors dealing with the Russian and Ukrainian markets were clearly impacted.
He said the ministry had addressed sectoral challenges by creating a risk calculation program in response to the pandemic to sustain work and overcome current and future challenges with the participation of the private sector.
The minister said the search for new markets was ongoing and that the Asian market was important but was still suffering from the pandemic.
He highlighted the importance of the US market alongside the European one.
Al-Fayez said the “Our Jordan is a Paradise” program had met its objectives, with 109 Jordanians benefiting from it in the first six months of 2022.
The program was originally launched to promote domestic tourism in Jordan after the tourism sector was affected by the coronavirus crisis.
He said the ministry intended to launch new tourism programs focusing on the industry’s development.
Tourism in Jordan has made a ‘rapid and remarkable’ recovery, says minister
https://arab.news/bce9h
Tourism in Jordan has made a ‘rapid and remarkable’ recovery, says minister
- Return of expats seen as important component of sector’s economy
Lebanese social entrepreneur Omar Itani recognized by Schwab Foundation
- FabricAID co-founder among 21 global recipients recognized for social innovation
DAVOS: Lebanon’s Omar Itani is one of 21 recipients of the Social Entrepreneurs and Innovators of the Year Award by the Schwab Foundation for Social Entrepreneurship.
Itani is the co-founder of social enterprise FabricAID, which aims to “eradicate symptoms of poverty” by collecting and sanitizing secondhand clothing before placing items in stores in “extremely marginalized areas,” he told Arab News on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.
With prices ranging from $0.25 to $4, the goal is for people to have a “dignified shopping experience” at affordable prices, he added.
FabricAID operates a network of clothing collection bins across key locations in Lebanon and Jordan, allowing people to donate pre-loved items. The garments are cleaned and sorted before being sold through the organization’s stores, while items that cannot be resold due to damage or heavy wear are repurposed for other uses, including corporate merchandise.
Since its launch, FabricAID has sold more than 1 million items, reached 200,000 beneficiaries and is preparing to expand into the Egyptian market.
Amid uncertainty in the Middle East, Itani advised young entrepreneurs to reframe challenges as opportunities.
“In Lebanon and the Arab world, we complain a lot,” he said. Understandably so, as “there are a lot of issues” in the region, resulting in people feeling frustrated and wanting to move away. But, he added, “a good portion of the challenges” facing the Middle East are “great economic and commercial opportunities.”
Over the past year, social innovators raised a combined $970 million in funding and secured a further $89 million in non-cash contributions, according to the Schwab Foundation’s recent report, “Built to Last: Social Innovation in Transition.”
This is particularly significant in an environment of geopolitical uncertainty and at a time when 82 percent report being affected by shrinking resources, triggering delays in program rollout (70 percent) and disruptions to scaling plans (72 percent).
Francois Bonnici, director of the Schwab Foundation for Social Entrepreneurship and a member of the World Economic Forum’s Executive Committee, said: “The next decade must move the models of social innovation decisively from the margins to the mainstream, transforming not only markets but mindsets.”
Award recipients take part in a structured three-year engagement with the Schwab Foundation, after which they join its global network as lifelong members. The program connects social entrepreneurs with international peers, collaborative initiatives, and capacity-building support aimed at strengthening and scaling their work.
