#GoJordan
According to a recent press release from the Arabian Travel Market, tourism revenues in the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan grew $3.47 billion in 2012.
…government figures report a 15.3% increase in 2012 tourism receipts on 2011 figures, adding US$3.47 billion to the economy. According to Jordan’s Central Bank, the increase in tourist revenues was due to the pick-up of inbound tourism numbers, with an increase in visitors noted from Iraq, Libya and the US in particular. (source: Arabian Travel Market)
This is especially striking considering the Arab Spring that afflicted various countries in Northern Africa and the Middle East in 2011-2012. In 2011, the Jordan Tourism Board embarked on a blogger and social media programme to highlight the country’s attractions and to get the word out quickly that despite the turmoil in neighbouring countries, Jordan is a safe place for a holiday.
iambassador collaborated with the Jordan Tourism Board in December 2011 to execute a social media campaign with the help of a group of travel bloggers who had visited and written about Jordan. The two-day #GoJordan campaign generated 41.8 million tweet impressions and reached 1.9 million people. During the #GoJordan Twitter chat, the bloggers answered questions from the public about travel safety in Jordan and the country’s natural and historic attractions. The response from the public was overwhelmingly positive.
Though it’s hard to determine how much the revenue growth can be attributed to Jordan’s blogger and social media campaigns in 2011, I think it’s safe to say (based on feedback from the Jordan Tourism Board and from the bloggers’ readers) that the iambassador bloggers certainly played a significant role in highlighting Jordan as a country that offers a multitude of world-class attractions, and that is, above all, safe.
Read the bloggers’ Jordan posts on Postcards from Jordan.
Keith Jenkins
