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After Rose City, Petra, of late, Jordan is now known more for its desert destination Wadi Rum, a location for several major scenes in Disney’s live-action Aladdin, and the sci-fi Hollywood adventure Dune. 

This year we also saw Hollywood stars like Salma Hayek and TV personalities Oprah Winfrey and Gayle King visiting the country.

“So much history there in the “Rose City,” voted one of the 7 new wonders of the world. It takes 3 days to really see it all, we only spent 3 hours. Put it on your must-see list if you haven’t already!” Winfrey posted on Instagram.

Salma Hayek visited Wadi Rum and shared pictures with her 26.3 million Instagram saying: “inhaling the magic of Jordan.”

Clearly, this kind of content shared by A-list celebrities is the best form of advertising for the country.

And, not surprisingly, Jordan’s tourism sector has soared to a 50% increase compared to last year’s first half. The country, where tourism contributes 14.6% to its gross domestic product (GDP) and directly employs approximately 57,000 people, has welcomed more than 3 million tourists during the first seven months of 2023. 

In the first quarter of 2023, Jordan’s tourism income saw a surge of 88.4% compared to the same period in the prior year, reaching $1.671 billion, propelled by a substantial increase in tourism arrivals.  

“The kingdom welcomed more than 3 million tourists in the first seven months of 2023, showing an increase of more than 50%, while tourism revenues increased by nearly 60% compared with the same period last year,” said Jordanian Minister of Government Communications Faisal Shboul.   

The country recorded $3.45 billion in revenues in July, noting a 59.4% growth and pointing towards the booming tourism industry integral to Jordan’s economic development. Total tourism revenue for June alone reached $630 million, showing a 28.8% increase compared to last year. 

Similarly, Jordanian citizens’ spending on travel and tourism activities outside the country rose by 46.6% and reached $905.5 million during H1, compared to the previous year’s first half.