According to the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities, Wadi Rum received a total of 18,359 visitors in the first two months of the year, with the majority being non-Arabs.

In January, 6,814 visitors were recorded, which increased to 11,545 in February.

Out of the total number of visitors, 14,200 were non-Arab tourists, 187 were Arab visitors, and 3,972 were Jordanian visitors.

The Central Bank of Jordan (CBJ) reported an 8.9% increase in tourism revenues in February 2024 compared to the same period in 2023, amounting to JD389.7 million.

In January and February, tourism revenues grew by 4.5%, totaling JD782.6 million. The CBJ also stated that tourism revenues surpassed projections for the first three quarters of 2023, showing a 27.4% increase and setting a “historical” precedent at JD5.2 billion.

Bookings were canceled in the last quarter of the previous year by at least 65%, largely due to the Israeli war on the Gaza Strip.

The Prime Minister, Bisher Khasawneh, had previously made statements regarding this matter.

The government is committed to establishing the Kingdom as a leading tourism and film production hub.

To achieve this, they implemented 260 promotional campaigns in 53 countries last year, resulting in 9.2 million passengers passing through Queen Alia International Airport, marking a 17% increase.

A total of 6.3 million visitors went to the Aqaba and Petra regions, and one million electronic visas were issued.

Additionally, 292 buses were added to the tourist transport fleet.

The Ministry of Tourism also promoted low-cost carriers through partnerships with five new charter and scheduled airlines, leading to an increase of 141% in passengers, carrying a total of 446,000 passengers.

The government inaugurated the development of archaeological sites and the launch of new tourism experiences such as the Ajloun Cable Car, which attracted 268,000 visitors, and the Um Qais Water Tunnel.

Other attractions include diving in Aqaba, the Petra Hot Air Balloon, the Christian Pilgrimage Trail in Mukawer, the restoration of six major tourist and archaeological spots, and the inauguration of film studios.

The post Wadi Rum received more than 18,000 visitors in Q1 2024. appeared first on ByMENA.

The Ministry of Water and Irrigation has signed an agreement for the Deir Alla and Karameh water networks rehabilitation project in Balqa. 

The sixth phase of this project aims to drill 16 wells in the Abu Zyghan area, with a value of 97.24 million euros. 

The funding for this project comes from a loan provided by the European Investment Bank (EIB) as well as self-finance, while the studies, design, and supervision aspects were secured through a grant from USAID. 

The project’s goal is to improve the water supply across 17 areas in Deir Alla and Karameh districts through seven different packages. 

By adopting natural flow pumping techniques, the scheme aims to extend the operational longevity of water networks, enhance service efficiency, and promote equitable water distribution. 

Minister of Water and Irrigation Raed Abul Saud emphasized the ministry’s dedication to speeding up the deployment of these new networks to deal with the increasing pressures of demand. 

He also reaffirmed the ministry’s commitment to addressing the challenges posed by surging water demand across the Kingdom. 

The drilling of the 16 wells in Abu Zayghan, costing $13.550 million, includes an exploratory well designed to bolster water availability in Deir Alla and Karameh. 

Expressing gratitude for the international support received, the minister referred to the role of the European Union, particularly the EIB and USAID, in facilitating the financial funds necessary to implement projects to face challenges of the water sector in light of increasing demand. 

Read More on Water Projects.

The post Jordan’s Ministry of Water signed water rehabilitation project appeared first on ByMENA.

Orange Jordan has been awarded the Fastest Fixed Internet Fiber Speed in Jordan for 2023 by SpeedChecker for the second year in a row.

The studies and speed tests conducted for this award covered internet subscribers in Jordan and showed that Orange Jordan offers the fastest internet in the country.

SpeedChecker has been operating in the Middle East since 2008.

It provides smart websites and applications that enable clients to check the quality of their internet connection, contributing to the improvement of many internet and mobile service providers.

The company is headquartered in Ireland, with offices in the United Arab Emirates.

The award was presented to Naila Al Dawoud, the Chief Consumer Marketing Officer, and Eng, Walid Al-Doulat, the Chief ITN & Wholesale Officer, on behalf of Orange Jordan, in the presence of several company employees.

This milestone aligns with Orange Jordan’s efforts to invest in digital infrastructure and fiber services, as well as providing customers with the latest technologies such as Fiber Box devices with Wi-Fi 6 technology.

This new technology allows subscribers to enjoy faster speeds and increase the number of devices connected to Wi-Fi with lower latency.

In addition, the company has launched a new super speed of 10,000 Mbps for the first time in Jordan and the region.

About Orange Jordan.

In today’s digital age, speed enriches the user experience. Orange Jordan believes that receiving this award for the second consecutive year, after conducting detailed speed tests involving tens of thousands of internet subscribers throughout 2023, is the culmination of its role as a Responsible Digital Leader.

The company provides a digital experience for all its subscribers, both individuals and businesses, enabling them to have a variety of features and services, including online learning, entertainment, gaming, and watching online videos.

It’s worth mentioning that Orange Jordan currently has the largest fiber market share in Jordan, according to the Telecommunications Regulatory Commission (TRC).

The post Orange Jordan was awarded the fastest internet speed in Jordan. appeared first on ByMENA.

The World Bank is currently contemplating the possibility of providing support and financing to a Jordanian program valued at $321 million according to Al-Mamlaka.

The program aims to enhance individual-centric digital governance and aid the roadmap for public sector modernization and digital transformation in Jordan, which is a fundamental pillar of the Economic Modernization Vision (EMV).

The program is expected to be presented to the World Bank in the upcoming months to be reviewed by its board of directors.

The total government funding is aimed to be more than USD545 million while focusing more on areas such as health and education.

The program also encourages transparency and government efficiency through digitalization.

Jordan aims to implement this program within 4 years, it will focus on increasing the usage of digital identity systems that focus on individuals.

The program also facilitates data sharing between government agencies and the private sector, building a digital infrastructure and aiming to increase ease of use.

The Economic Modernization Vision (EMV) aims to double the annual growth rate of the Jordan to 5.6% over the next decade.

The strategy aims to make governmental services fully digitalized by the year 2025, this includes initiatives such as:

• Digital identity.
• E-Payments.
• Open government data.
• Resource management.

Over 800,000 users have activated their digital identities by the start of February 2024, the Jordanian government aims to increase the userbase to 3.5 million by the start of 2025, facilitated through user activation at banks, government service centers and companies.

The post Jordan is in talks with the World Bank for a USD321 million program. appeared first on ByMENA.

Jordan, a country with an average ranking of 97 according to FIFA saw a 14-position increase in the last month.

The country has seen rankings as low as 146 in 1996 and as high as 40 in 2004 for men.

The AFC Asian Cup where Jordan’s team with its coach Hussein Amouta, beat Malaysia 4-0, knocked out Iraq and South Korea and reached the Finals for the first time but eventually lost to Qatar 3-1.

Jordan is preparing to participate in the upcoming World Cup Qualifiers starting at the end of March.

Jordan will play two rounds against Pakistan followed by rematches against Tajikistan which the country tied 1-1 in the last qualifiers, lastly, they will rematch against Saudi Arabia after losing 2-0 previously.

The women’s team is not that far behind as it’s ranked at 74th right now, almost mirroring the men’s team at 70th.

Qatar, the AFC Asian Cup winner saw their ranking shoot up to 37 from 2023’s rank of 58, their highest ranking up to date.

For the First time since 2007, the Finals were both between Arab countries in the AFC Asian cup which was a match between Iraq and Saudi Arabia with Iraq winning the cup 1-0.

The Cup currently ranks based on the winnings of each team with the top 5 being:

First Places in the AFC Asian Cup:

Japan: 4

Saudi Arabia: 3

Iran: 3

South Korea: 2

Qatar: 2

The post Jordan’s FIFA ranking itches closer to the mainstream. appeared first on ByMENA.

Seeking to empower Start-ups in Jordan and to protect young businesses in Jordan, ISSF invested $5 million in MSA Capital’s venture fund.

ISSF said “[This investment] unlocks new opportunities for Jordanian start-ups, providing them with the financing needed to scale and thrive in the competitive global market.”

Mohamed al Muhtaseb, CEO of ISSF said that “MSA Novo is an emerging markets-focused venture fund under MSA Capital, a global multi-stage investment firm. The investment firm has shown “strong commitment” to support start-ups in Jordan.”

He added that “Through this strategic investment, our objective is not just to infuse vital equity capital but also to effectively open doors for Jordanian start-ups, providing them with accelerated access to global markets through the expertise of a key international player in the venture space,”

Jordan’s Innovative Startups and SMEs Fund was founded in 2017, aiming to support Jordanian businesses it was established following the recommendation of the Jordanian Economic Policy Council,

The Fund ISSF received $50 million funding from the World Bank and it also received $48 million from the Central Bank of Jordan.

According to Middle East Investment Initiative, Jordan currently has over 100,000 SMEs which is (97%) of all companies, making up more than 50% of the country’s GDP and employing 60% of the Jordanian workforce.

When the covid pandemic hit, the European Investment Bank is partnering with the Housing Bank to support the Jordanian economy with a line of credit amount to $107 million to local private sector business that have been impacted.

Jordan got recognized by the World Bank as one of the economies with the most notable improvements, currently being ranked as 75 out of 185 opposed to being ranked at 167 of 185 in 2013.

The post Jordan’s Innovative Startups and SMEs Fund (ISSF) invests $5M in MSA Capital’s Venture Fund. appeared first on ByMENA.

Jordan is investing in increasing the output of the Risha field to increase its Gas production by 566%.

As a plan to improve and expand the local energy field, Jordan is investing in and developing the Risha field in northwest Jordan.

The plan is to increase the production of the field from 849,505 cubic meters per day to 5,663,369 cubic meters per day said the chairman of the Energy and Minerals Regulatory Commission, Ziad Al-Saaydi.

He also informed businesses at Irbid Chamber of Commerce and Industry in north Jordan that the project is a must to ensure Jordan’s self-sufficiency in local energy consumption and to meet the annually increasing demand in the industrial sector of the country.

Ziad Al-Saaydi also revealed that Jordan is building two plants in the northern and southern parts of Jordan to receive and process gas.

Risha Field is owned by National Petroleum, which is an oil and gas company that offers assets and services such as management, production, drilling, operations and the development of oil and gas assets.

They also carry out production within the kingdom and abroad, yet the headquarters for the company is stationed in Amman, Jordan.

Risha Field was discovered in 1986 by the Natural Resources Authority which continued exploration until 1995 until its transfer to the National Petroleum Company.

The Risha Concession Agreement was signed in 1996 and is valid for 50 years, with the possibility of extension. Under this agreement, the National Petroleum Company (NPC) has been granted the right to explore and produce oil within the concession area, as well as undertake any related operations.

This includes the exploration and development of oil and natural gas, production, marketing, and transportation of gas and oil extracted within the Kingdom.

The post Jordan aiming to increase Risha field Gas field production by 566% appeared first on ByMENA.