Spanish Tourism magazine “Hosteltur” had the chance to interview Nayef H. Al Fayez (General Manager of Jordan Tourism Office in Spain) in Berlin.
During the interview they talked about the current arab uprising and their impact in Jordan Tourism.
Here you are the whole interview translated to english.
“The Arab Tourism Organization, based in Cairo, estimated that the tourism industry in Arab countries this year will suffer losses amounting to 2,000 million dollars in 2011, as a result of popular uprisings. Do you agree with this forecast?
In fact, it could be a lot higher, as Egypt, one of the countries most affected by the riots, is the most important destination in the Arab world. Tunisia is also another great destination. We are talking about a big impact on two key destinations where tourism has stopped in the first quarter.
How many tourists have visited Jordan so far in 2011?
In January there was an increase, but in February there was a slight fall, but as a result of the cancellation of combinated packages Jordan-Egypt.
The political situation in Jordan is different from Egypt and Tunisia, while many European consumers do not appreciate the nuances …
Indeed. Jordan has been characterized by stability and tranquility. You can not compare with what happened in other arab countries like Egypt or Libya. Tour operators understand it. The problem is that people look at the region as a whole.
So what are the main rules for managing a crisis of confidence?
Since the beginning of the crisis we have worked closely with the media, taking dozens of travel journalists to Jordan, to explain their experience in the field. We also interviewed at random tourists from different nationalities who were visiting the country and have posted the videos on Youtube with their testimonies, each speaking in their own language. This has helped a lot. We have also increased co-marketing activities with tour operators to boost sales in different markets.
Synthesizer, is the rule for crisis management transparency and open doors?
For us there is nothing better than transparency. Because, with social networks today, people can see what you want. In fact, we will further promote social networking. The message we want to convey through these actions is that Jordan is an unique and stable destination
Have you been forced to increase its marketing budget in 2011?
We could not, it was previously approved. Jordan is not a rich country which can take money out of the hat. What we are doing is to choose exactly what prioritize actions to achieve the most efficient way possible to consumers, travel agents and tour operators.
And with all that is happening in the Arab world, have some foresight or objective for 2011?
It is very difficult to predict. Our goal is to stay as close as we can from the figures in 2010 which was an excellent year. In fact, there are new hotel projects under way: Within three years we will have 5,000 new rooms, mostly in Aqaba on the Red Sea.”
andalusitravelandluxury.wordpress.com 