Jordan welcomes Indian tourists

KOCHI: The Jordan Tourism Board organised a road show here on Friday, as part of a 10-day marketing drive in India to encourage travellers to visit Jordan.

Jordan expects to host almost double the number of tourists from India this year, as compared to 2009, said Maher Salman, marketing manager (ASEAN region) of the Board. �The easing of visa procedures has helped travellers to visit Jordan. The land offers a mix of leisure and pilgrimage destinations, shopping and also MICE (meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibitions).

The country has a rich mix of history and culture, being located at the crossroads of Asia, Africa and Europe. It is also home to some of mankinds earliest settlements and also many Biblical sites. Jordan is also a country with rich biodiversity � pine-clad mountains, valleys, wetlands, deserts and also the famed Dead Sea. Submarine tours too are organised.

�The citizens are also very hospitable. Many excavations are on and this is another attraction. The country attracted 3.5 million tourists in 2009, of which 29,000 were from India,� said the Boards Indian representative Asish Sharma.

Though there are no direct flights to South India, there is a weekly flight from New Delhi and Mumbai.