STORY: Jordan seeks to boost tourism, cultural ties with China, says tourism minister
SHOOTING TIME: July 10, 2024
DATELINE: July 13, 2024
LENGTH: 00:02:12
LOCATION: Amman
CATEGORY: ECONOMY

SHOTLIST:
1. various of Jordan's tourist attractions
2. SOUNDBITE 1 (Arabic): MAKRAM QAISI, Jordan's Minister of Tourism and Antiquities
3. various of views in China
4. SOUNDBITE 2 (Arabic): MAKRAM QAISI, Jordan's Minister of Tourism and Antiquities
5. SOUNDBITE 3 (Arabic): MAKRAM QAISI, Jordan's Minister of Tourism and Antiquities

STORYLINE:

Jordan's Minister of Tourism and Antiquities Makram Qaisi has expressed a strong desire to enhance the Hashemite Kingdom's cultural exchanges with China and attract more Chinese tourists to his country.
   
SOUNDBITE 1 (Arabic): MAKRAM QAISI, Jordan's Minister of Tourism and Antiquities
"Today we are looking for new markets and I always say we are looking for new markets that are similar to us and understand us and we understand them. We have great commonalities between the Arab peoples and the Chinese people, and we talk about the history and civilizations that have shaped these cultures."

Qaisi, who plans to visit China to engage with Chinese tourism authorities and stakeholders, highlighted Jordan's appeal to Chinese tourists.

SOUNDBITE 2 (Arabic): MAKRAM QAISI, Jordan's Minister of Tourism and Antiquities
"I spoke briefly about the 16,000 archaeological sites on the national lists, with their details. These constitute 16 percent of the total archaeological sites in Jordan.
Visas are very easy for any Chinese visitor coming to the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan. They can obtain visas from the Jordanian embassy or upon arrival at the airport.
The Ministry's team and a specialized team from the Jordan tourism board are now working to prepare a complete and comprehensive program, during my visit to China."

Qaisi also voiced support for the Global Civilization Initiative proposed by China in 2023 to promote dialogue between different civilizations and advance the shared prosperity of various civilizations.

He said tourism helps enhance cultural exchanges and understanding through learning about each other's heritage, cuisine, and other components of civilization.

SOUNDBITE 3 (Arabic): MAKRAM QAISI, Jordan's Minister of Tourism and Antiquities
"We support this initiative, without reservation and without hesitation. This is on one hand. On the other hand. Why do we support this initiative? Firstly, for us, tourism is not numbers. But I stress that the numbers for us are not the goal. The goal is cultural exchange. The goal is to understand each other. The goal is for the Chinese visitors to come to Jordan and feel safe, feel respected, and feel appreciated."

Tourism is a significant contributor to Jordan's economy, accounting for around 14.6 percent of the country's GDP in 2023, with 6.3 million tourists generating 5.3 billion Jordanian dinars (approximately 7.3 billion U.S. dollars) in revenue.

Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from Amman.
(XHTV)