Jordan builds strong tourism momentum and eyes even bigger 2026

Tourism gaining strongly in 2025

“We are seeing strong momentum this year. The first half of the year marked a record-breaking period for both visitor arrivals and revenue. According to our latest data, Jordan welcomed 3.29 million tourists between January and June. This represents an 18 % increase compared with the 2.78 million recorded in the same period of 2024,” stressed Ahmad AlHmoud to TravelMole.

Tourism revenue also climbed sharply: for January through May 2025, the sector generated approximately JD 2.167 billion, which translates to about US$3.06 billion. The figure is up 16 % from the same period last year. “Jordan has all a tourist can dream of : culture, nature, history, adventure, friendly people and great food. And over that, we currently offer great prices for accommodation as well as flights,” explained AlHmoud.

The Dead Sea region stood out as a major draw. It welcomed 2.717 million visitors in the first half of 2025, representing a 14 % rise over the prior year. Daily visitor numbers there surged by 40 %, jumping from 411,000 to 575,000.

Officials attribute the strong performance to several factors: upgraded infrastructure, higher service quality, and concerted job-creation efforts. They are all part of a broader government strategy to bolster the national economy through sustainable tourism development.

“We also see a lot of hotel development around Aqaba with luxury resorts such as the new Westin Saraya Aqaba Resort & Spa or the Al Manara, which is part of The Luxury Collection by Marriott. Only this year, a dozen private hotels opened their doors along the Red Sea“, said the JTB marketing director.

Low-cost airlines to boost European arrivals this winter

Europe inbound markets are growing again as travelers are not anymore deterred by the geopolitical situation. Europe generated from January to June 2025 a total of 351,572 overnight travelers, up 11.1% compared to the same period of 2024 (316,152 overnight arrivals). The main inbound markets from Europe are Germany, the UK, France, Turkey, Italy, the Netherlands and Sweden.

“We expect Europe growth to accelerate over the winter. Many low-cost airlines are launching new routes to Jordan. This will not only improve air connectivity but also help keeping air prices reasonable,” added Ahmad AlHmoud.

Wizz Air, Eurowings, Transavia France and, above all, Ryanair are adding new routes and frequencies from Europe this winter.

Ryanair will run 84 weekly flights from Jordan’s capital Amman this winter after restarting operations paused by the war in Gaza and is in talks about a significant expansion, the airline said recently. Number of routes could consequently grow from 18 to 50 from Amman and Aqaba. It will translate into 3 million seats a year.

Marketing efforts are also paying off. “We continue to promote culture and history, particularly Petra, our tourism icon. But we strive to diversify our products: cruise tourism in the Red Sea, Bedouin culture and adventure in our desert, sustainable experiences with local communities or gastronomy tours,” told Ahmad AlHmoud.

With momentum building, Jordan’s tourism industry appears more than ever to prepare for even greater success in 2026.