The Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan is a historic country with amazing features. The West Asian country is predominantly Islamic with countless landmarks of Christianity.Over 90 per cent of the 7.8 million people that inhabit Jordan are Moslems while the rest of the population is mostly Christian.It is amazing that in such an Islamic setting, with Mosques and people dressed in Islamic regalia everywhere,you can find biblical historical sites such as the Red Sea, River Jordan and thepopular Mount Nebo intact.The Red Sea is still the same way it was described in the Bible. Moses divided the Red Sea into two with his rod as commanded by God to save the fleeing Israelites from therampaging army of Pharaoh, the Egyptian king. Pharaoh’s men who were in hot pursuit of the Israelites perished in the sea after Moses used his rod to close the parted sea.The sea is one of the tourist delights in Jordan. It is one ofthe sites where tourists enjoymost, as they take their time to cruise on it in spite of the fact that it is very deep.Mount Nebo, another feature of interest, is the mountain on which Moses was said to have viewed the Promised Land. Because he disobeyed God, he was shown the land but was not allowed enter it. According to the biblical story, Moses thereafter died on the mountain.Efforts have been made to make the mountain attractiveto visiting tourists and pilgrims. Modern monuments are erected on the spot whereit was presumed Moses died and was buried.Another amazing feature is the River Jordan, where John baptised Jesus Christ. The river also forms a boundary between Jordan and Israel. The river is curiously small and drying up. This, accordingto locals, is because of the heavy dependence on the river by the surrounding population.Pilgrims and tourists travel from distant lands just to dip their hands and feet in this water where it is believed that Jesus was baptised over 2,000 years ago.There is also the Dead Sea, another popular attraction. The mineral level in the sea ishigh and it is said that the muddy sea does not sustain life. People do not swim in the Dead Sea. All one needs to do is lie back and float with little effort. The mud from the sea is said to have healing properties because ofits rich mineral content. People rub the mud on their body to cure skin diseases and keep the skin glowing.These were some of the features of Jordan, a country the tour guide, Mr. Muhammed Khadeer, who works with the Jordan Tourism Board, says has no major natural resources, but is proud of its strength in tourism.Khadeer said, “We depend on tourism 90 per cent because we do not have any natural resources. Some of the places I have taken you to arevery important. People come here every day just to see theRed Sea, Mount Nebo or RiverJordan and Petra which is thenew seventh wonder of the world. As a country, we are happy that we have all of these.“The people who appreciate these attractions are not evenfrom Jordan and that is why we receive many tourists here. And they are the major boost to our economy. The only other thing we do here isagriculture. People farm to feed and sell the little they can but in most cases, our people farm for domestic consumption. Farming contributes just about 10 per cent to our economy.“Let me stress that we are very friendly to Christians because they are the ones coming here to help our economy. We respect people and we are good to those staying with us. Our people have been trained to respect and welcome all kinds of people, including Christians and Moslems into our country.”The Jordan Tourism Board has been contending with the pressure of tourists that dailytroop in and out of Jordan, especially after the recent visit of Pope Francis.JTB’s Managing Director, Dr. Abed Arabiyat, said the country was putting things in place to attract more African tourists and pilgrims to Jordan.He said, “Jordan has releaseda new strategy. The Kingdom plans to invite 1,500 church leaders from around the world to identify with the 34 sites in Jordan mentioned during the Biblical times.”Arabiyat said the board is also interested in having more Africans, especially Nigerians visit Jordan. “The Nigerian market is very important to Jordan. We have the attractions and the infrastructure. The Pope has already visited the Baptism Site. I think the Vatican always emphasises visits to religious sites. We plan to work very hard to attract more tourists here because that is what we have to sell,” he said.In collaboration with the Royal Jordanian, the country’s national carrier, the JTB said it is making arrangements to bring more Nigerians to the country.To boost visits to Jordan, an official of Royal Jordanian, Mr. Anwar Atalla, said the airline was planning to introduce duty-free in-flight facilities in the next few months.“We are working towards increasing our frequencies to three times a week between Nigeria and Amman, Jordan, and we are doing this to ensure we cater for the increase in passenger traffic which we are anticipating in the next few months. We hope to collaborate with JTB to make visas easier to obtainso that more people would beable to visit the country with minimal stress,” he said.A Nigerian tourist, Mr. Sunkanmi Ajao, said he was impressed with the way the government of Jordan has managed its economy.Ajao said, “A country without natural resources and little dependence on agriculture is doing so well for its people. They import so many things to make life comfortable but the fact is the citizens lack nothing. That is leadership for you. I am also shocked that a country depends mainly on tourism.”Another tourist, Ms. Angela Keith, who visited from England, said she was particularly impressed with the warm nature of the people.“Apart from the beautiful tourist attractions, I am so glad that the people here are not hostile. That was my fear before coming and I am really happy that they are very accommodating. They make you feel at home and you will wish to come back to Jordan,” she said.Jordan is relatively peaceful and it boasts of rich food and culture. Electricity, which is said to be generated and supplied from neighbouring Egypt, is constant.However, the country’s major setback is its water shortage.River Jordan, its major sourceof fresh water is almost driedup. It is a big concern and the country is currently thinking of options to solve the water problems.For now, water is being imported and it is heavily subsidised by government to reduce the impact on the people.
