AMMAN - Jordan has the potential to be promoted as a stand-alone tourist destination, rather than being marketed as part of joint packages with neighbouring countries, American travel and tourism industry leaders said on Wednesday.

The delegates, who are on a visit to Jordan to support the Kingdom’s tourism sector that has been negatively affected by the current unrest in the region, noted that local tour operators and industry representatives need to educate potential American travellers on tourism sites in the country and engage with US travel agents to encourage them to promote these destinations.

According to the delegates, Jordan is one of the top faith-based destinations and the eighth adventure tourism destination for Americans, and these two areas can be promoted further.

“The religious market is growing”, Larry Larsen, a member of the visiting delegation, said at a panel discussion with representatives of Jordan’s tourism industry.

“We don’t have cancellations of religious trips,” he noted.

The delegation’s visit is part of “Restoring the Journey: Support Travel to Egypt and Jordan,” initiative adopted by the American travel industry to support tourism sector in both countries.

The delegation embarked on this mission in cooperation with tourism ministries in Jordan and Egypt to assess current travel conditions.

During the panel discussion yesterday, the delegates said their visit provided them with first-hand experience, which will help them promote Jordan among their clients.

“We know that Jordan is safe, but we need to deliver the message to our customers,” Adventure Travel Trade Association President Shannon Stowell noted.

The delegates said they would use social media tools to spread the message.

Muhannad Malhas, spokesman of the Jordan Inbound Tourism Operators Association, said the regional unrest had quite a big impact on the US market, which witnessed cancellations of joint packages.

“Last month, 60 to 70 per cent cancellations were from the US market,” he revealed.

Jordan Tourism Board Director General Nayef Fayez, who also took part in the panel discussion, described the current situation as unpleasant for the region as it affected tourism in the country.

According to figures he presented, a 0.5 per cent drop in the total number of arrivals to the Kingdom was registered in March compared to the same month of last year.

Overnight tourists dropped by 6.8 per cent, while package tours witnessed a 20 per cent decrease in the same period, he said, attributing the decline to cancellations of joint packages for Jordan and Egypt.

Fayez also stressed the need to promote Jordan as a stand-alone destination to limit the impact of the regional unrest on the country’s tourism sector.