AMMAN: The Jordan Tourism Board has renewed a cooperation agreement with Irish low-cost airline Ryanair until 2028.

The deal includes three additional routes connecting Amman with Pisa, Brussels and Marseille, and one connecting Aqaba with Madrid. Ryanair now has 25 routes connecting Jordan with 12 European cities, the Jordan News Agency reported

“We are pleased to increase the number of routes with the international company Ryanair, which contributes to a significant increase in the number of tourists to the Kingdom during the coming period,” said Makram Qaisi, the tourism board’s chairperson.

He added that the deal underscores the importance of low-cost flights in efforts to attract tourists to Jordan, and noted that there has been a surge in tourism to the country following the COVID-19 pandemic.

The board’s director general, Abdul Razzaq Arabiyat, said that Ryanair has a large social media following and the company will leverage its strong marketing resources to promote tourism in Jordan.

Ryanair CEO Eddie Wilson said he was happy that the agreement, originally signed five years ago, has been renewed. The launch of Ryanair services to Jordan has had a positive effect on the tourism sector, he added, resulting in an increase in the number of visitors to Jordan, particularly from Eastern Europe.

More than 600,000 Ryanair passengers are expected to travel to and from Jordan each year, Wilson said, a 30 percent increase in flight rates compared with last year.