About

Summary

Jordan Inbound Tour Operators Association (JITOA) commissioned this study through USAID with the primary objective of undertaking “deep-dive” research into the challenges facing the sector.  Specifically, the study aimed to better understand the importance of inbound tour operators to the overall tourism sector, and their value to the Jordanian economy in terms of visitor numbers, expenditure, direct value added and employment.  The study also identified how the inbound tour operator sector had been impacted by recent market changes and trends related to and independent of the COVID-19 pandemic, and in turn identify what needed to be done to transform the sector so that it was more competitive and ultimately more appealing to the key markets that are interested in visiting Jordan.

Our Approach

The study took a highly consultative approach, basing the findings on an online survey of tour operators, consultations with key tourism organisations in Jordan, and consultations with JITOA members.

• Online Survey of JITOA Members: this survey, which was circulated to all members of JITOA, included questions covering operational costs and revenues in 2018 and 2019, and key issues regarding “doing business” in Jordan both during 2020 (during COVID-19) and previously.  It collected key data for a model that was built to measure the economic impact of the inbound tour operator sector, and the key issues that shaped the focus of the online consultations with JITOA members.
• Consultations with Key Tourism Bodies in Jordan: consultations were held with officials of the Jordan Tourism Board, Aqaba Special Economic Zone Authority and Jordan Inbound Tour Operators Association.  The main focus of these discussions were to understand the procedures and policies that have been put in place to support the sector since the COVID-19 pandemic emerged in early 2020, as well as other issues that affected the operations of inbound tour operators in Jordan.
• Online Consultations with a selection of JITOA Members: drawing on the findings from the JITOA Members Survey, and also initial consultations with JTB, ASEZA and the Board of Directors of JITOA, online meetings were subsequently held with a number of tour operators in Jordan that were selected to represent a range of sizes, years in operation, and market focus.

Outcome

The inbound tour operator sector in Jordan generated an estimated JD 501.5 million in receipts in 2019, representing 76% of all inbound tourism leisure spending in the country.  The direct gross value added to the Jordanian economy from this expenditure was estimated to be JD 330.2 million in 2019, or 20.2% of total tourism direct gross value added (TDGVA).  Inbound tour operators were found to be significant tourism employers, with an annual wage bill of JD 32.1 million, generating almost 3,000 jobs, with operators employing an average of 18 full-time employees each.

Consultations with the tour operators, as well as the broader tourism sector in Jordan, identified six key areas that are constraining the development and growth of the sector that would be significant as the country moved through the Intensive Care, Recovery and Growth phases of post-COVID emergence.