Kingdom rising

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A boom in mixed-use developments has laid the ground work for a flurry of hotel openings across Jordan, as the kingdom works to attract 12 million arrivals by 2010.

Jordan's tourism industry has plenty to sing about. The inaugural Jordan Festival, which played host to such musical greats as opera singer Placido Domingo performing with Julia Migenes and Monica Yunus, as well as modern stars such as Lebanese singer Mika, and jazz legend Diana Krall, put Jordan firmly in the spotlight this summer.

The festival, which took place from July 8 to August 9, aimed to reinvigorate the Jordan summer season - and proved to do just that, as tourists from across the Middle East and further abroad visited the kingdom to see their favourite artists.

Jordan has been basking in the limelight for quite some time now, following the recognition of Petra as one of the New Seven Wonders of the World in July 2007. The new accolade to one of the world's oldest tourism attractions gave Jordan's tourism marketing a new boost, with Petra now playing host to thousands of visitors each day.

Tourism in Jordan, which lacks the oil wealth of its neighbours, is the second-largest private sector employer and contributes 10% to the country's GDP. The kingdom plans to invest 4% of its tourism revenue back into the industry, in a bid to double tourism arrivals to 12 million by 2010, according to a new study by Deloitte.

According to previous year-end 2007 results from the HotelBenchmark Survey by STR Global, Jordan, after experiencing a slight fall in RevPAR in 2006, saw a change in fortunes in 2007. RevPAR was up 19% percent in Amman for the year.

Success was not only limited to Amman, as the ancient stone-carved city of Petra capitalised on its newfound fame. According to the Jordan Tourism Board, tourist arrivals to Petra increased by 43% during the first 11 months of 2007 to just over half a million.

Currently, the kingdom receives more than 6.5 million visitors a year, with the Middle East and Europe being the main inbound markets. However ambitious plans and landmark developments are reshaping the tourism market in the kingdom and making way for a host of new hotels and mixed-use developments across the country.

Preparing for the predicted increase in arrivals, Queen Alia International Airport (QAIA) is to undergo an 83,000m² expansion which will increase passenger capacity to nine million a year.

Capital development

The massive Abdali Downtown development in Amman, Jordan was launched in June 2003 with the goal of creating a vibrant central business and residential district to catapult the city into the 21st century. Although the project is still in its construction phase, early signs indicate that it is well on the way to meeting its objectives.

"The development aims to give Jordan and its citizens a capital to be proud of and be a centre of world-class standards on a par with other great cities like Paris and New York," says Abdali Investment and Development chief executive Jamal Itani.

Formally known as the Abdali Urban Regeneration Project, the US $3 billion development will create a network of pedestrian-friendly streets, plazas and gardens, central shopping and entertainment facilities, an urban university campus, office complexes, hotels, a national library and performing arts centre, prestigious residential buildings, and a state-of-the-art infrastructure.

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