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Jordan seeks to win back tourists amid regional war

The regional war is keeping many visitors away, while Jordan’s tourism sector stresses that Petra, Wadi Rum and Amman are open.

Jordanian hotels and tour operators say travellers have been avoiding the region since the conflict expanded. At the same time, figures for the first seven months of 2026 show that not all visitor numbers have collapsed.

Jordan is not at the centre of the conflict, but its geographical proximity to Israel, Syria and Iraq is affecting how foreign travellers view the country. In Petra, Wadi Rum and the resorts on the Red Sea and the Dead Sea, tourism is an important source of income. Business owners say cancellations and reluctance among Western visitors are having a direct impact on their turnover.

Reuters spoke to hotel and tour operators in Petra. One hotel manager said staff were being paid less and that some floors remained closed to keep the business operating. The Petra Hotels Association estimated occupancy at about 10 per cent during some periods. That is an industry estimate, not a national official figure.

Jordanian figures present a more mixed picture. According to Jordan News, citing figures from Jordan’s Ministry of Tourism, 3.213 million tourists came to the country to stay overnight in the first seven months of 2026. That was 2 per cent less than in the same period of 2025.

At the same time, the number of day visitors rose by 8.3 per cent to 755,000, according to the same source. In the first half of the year, tourism revenues amounted to about 2.47 billion Jordanian dinars, according to a government report. The figures show that the type of visit and the origins of travellers are shifting in particular, rather than all tourism activity having disappeared.

The Jordanian government is therefore trying to attract visitors from neighbouring countries and other markets less affected by the conflict. Tourism Minister Lina Annab said, according to Reuters, that the country was focusing on markets less sensitive to the regional situation. The message is that major tourist sites are operating, but that travellers should check their routes and transport options in advance.

For business owners, the uncertainty is particularly problematic. Bookings are being made later, group trips are being cancelled more quickly and airlines may temporarily adjust routes when the security situation changes. For Jordan, that means striking a difficult balance: the country does not want to fuel unnecessary fear, but neither can it pretend that the regional risks do not exist.

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