AMMAN — The Kingdom’s tourism revenue increased by 14.3 per cent in the first eight months of 2021 to JD958.8 million compared with the same period of 2020 that witnessed a decline of 70 per cent, the Central Bank of Jordan (CBJ) announced on Wednesday.

 AMMAN — Stakeholders in the tourism sector have welcomed the government’s three-stage plan to reopen closed sectors after months of pandemic-induced closures.

 AMMAN — The Royal Film Commission (RFC) together with UN Women, launched the ninth edition of the Women’s Film Festival, in honour of International Women’s Day.

 AMMAN — The Centre for the Promotion of Imports (CBI), an agency in the Netherlands funded by the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs, has announced a project to support the Jordanian tourism industry for a period of four years. 

 AMMAN — Integrated Water Conservation and Management Project at the Yarmouk Nature Reserve, through a participatory process, aims at conserving the natural water ecosystem, according to the project manager.

 AMMAN — Recent fieldwork at the vast desert region in north-eastern Jordan has revealed an immensely rich heritage of an area that is difficult to access and archaeologically less known, according to a Dutch archaeologist.

 AMMAN — The Royal Society for the Conservation of Nature (RSCN) and the Public Security Directorate (PSD) on Thursday signed an agreement to establish an office for environmental affairs and tourism in Burqu Nature Reserve, as part of a memorandum of understanding previously signed by both parties.

 AMMAN — The Late Petra Project focuses on a settlement in the Petra region occupied after the Byzantine period, ca. 350-650AD,  and revises the common idea that the rose-red city was abandoned after this time, according to an Italian archaeologist.

 AMMAN — Airport International Group (AIG) revealed that Queen Alia International Airport (QAIA) welcomed 1,233,484 passengers (PAX) during the first half of 2021, marking a 20.9 per cent and 70.3 per cent decline against 2020 and 2019 figures, respectively.

 AMMAN — UNESCO project “Employment Opportunities for Cultural Heritage Safeguarding in Jordan” aims to invest in cultural heritage preservation while creating short-term job opportunities for Jordanians and Syrians, according to Giorgia Cesaro, senior project officer.

 AMMAN — World Wildlife Day, which falls on March 3, this year celebrates forest-based livelihoods and seek to promote forest wildlife management models and practices that accommodate both human well-being and the long-term conservation of forests.

 AMMAN — Following the intervention of Roman general Pompey the Great (106 BC-48 BC) in the Levant, Gerasa (Jerash) and Philadelphia (Amman) were integrated into a new province in the autumn of 63 BC, noted a French scholar during a lecture titled “Philadelphia-Amman: the Hellenistic, Roman and Byzantine City” recently organised by the French institute Ifpo.

 AMMAN — A batch of the China-produced anti-coronavirus vaccine (Sinopharm) arrived at Queen Alia International Airport Sunday evening, purchased at preferential prices, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

 AMMAN — As part of the celebrations to mark the centennial of the foundation of the Jordanian state, the Cabinet on Sunday declared March 2, of every year, as Amman City Day.

 AMMAN — The Aqaba Carnival, an annual event that aims to encourage both locals and foreigners to visit the port city and its tourist attractions, will be held in August, according to an official.

 AMMAN — Ayla is now recognised as a global tourism destination on global travel platform TripAdvisor for travellers looking for a one-stop experience in Aqaba.

 AMMAN — Rabbot-Ammon, literally “the Great [City] of Ammon”, was the capital of the Iron Age kingdom of Ammon, said a German archaeologist during a lecture titled “Rabbot-Ammon in the Iron Age”, which was recently organised by the French institute Ifpo.

 AMMAN — Saturday marks the spring solstice or vernal equinox, the beginning of spring and the end of winter in the northern hemisphere.

 Jordan has been recognised for its amazing attractions and experiences in the latest Lonely Planet Ultimate Travel List, released today, with four of the country’s sights making the list in total. The spectacular sandstone ancient city of Petra has been named as the number one bucket list experience in the world, with Jordan’s otherworldly rose-sand Wadi Rum desert, the Dead Sea and its natural healing powers, and the beautiful Dana Biosphere Reserve also making the list.