In 2008, 2 911 Norwegians visited Jordan for tourism. From January to September 2009, the number was 5 317 Norwegian tourists visiting the Kingdom, indicating an increase of 82.7%.
The main destination for the Norwegian tourists is Aqaba. The tour operator Apollo offers direct flights from Oslo to the city they describe as “the perfect holiday destination” with the warm Read Sea water in Aqaba bay and the mild Jordanian climate.
Aqaba also represents an excellent base point for visiting some of Jordan’s main tourist attractions such as Petra – the ancient city carved out in the sandstone mountains, and Wadi Rum – the vast and beautiful desert landscape.
Tourism is of vital importance to the national economy of Jordan. It is the Kingdom’s largest export sector, its second largest private sector employer, and its highest producer of foreign exchange. Tourism contributes to more than US$ 800 million to Jordan’s economy and accounts for approximately 10 percent of the country’s gross domestic product.
Despite its many iconic attractions, Jordan’s tourism sector is performing at a level far below its potential. For this reason, Jordan set up a National Tourism Strategy that outlines steps for doubling the Kingdom’s tourism economy within the end of 2010.
With regards to Norwegian tourists, Jordan seems to have been rather successful in promoting itself as a holiday destination. The fourth quarter of 2009 is expected to show an even bigger increase of Norwegian tourists, as Apollo restarted their flights to Aqaba in the beginning of the high season in October.