Jordan safe to visit, West's perception a problem: Tourism Minister Queisi

Jordan is facing the brunt of the West's perception of the Middle East being one unit, says Tourism and Antiquities Minister Makram Mustafa A Queisi while stressing that his strong and resilient country is safe to visit notwithstanding the Israel-Hamas conflict.

The number of tourists to the country has been steadily declining since the October 7 Hamas attack on Israel last year and the subsequent Israeli invasion of Gaza. The sector contributes 14.6 per cent to Jordan's gross domestic product (GDP) by generating USD 7.3 billion and employs 55,000 people directly,

The dip in the number of tourists is what Queisi hopes to address.

"Jordan has always been strong and resilient... It is the problem of perception in the West, especially in Europe and the US -- maybe Canada and Australia as well. They look at the Middle East as one unit, Queisi told PTI.

If a bullet is fired in the southern part of the Middle East, the eastern part, the western part and the northern part are affected and