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An update from Evaneos
Jordan

The situation in Jordan today

Despite a complex international situation in a geopolitically tense region, Jordan is the only stable and almost safe country in the region. Unfortunately, in recent years the country has been hit by terrorist attacks. From an economic point of view, the situation seems to be stable. However, it largely depends on the tourism sector, closely liked to the region's geopolitical situation.

Politics

The King of Jordan since 1999, Abdallah II and his wife, Queen Rania of Jordan, are very popular in the country. Since his investiture, he has always been very involved in maintaining, for better or worse, relative stability in the region. That hasn't stopped Jordan being hit by attacks. In 2011, the "Arab spring" somewhat shook the country. To contain the discontent, the King had quickly taken numerous measures to lower the cost of daily life and make some changes in the government. Not all problems were fixed but he succeeded in suppressing the rise in violence. In 2012, numerous protests shocked the country and the King had to back down on the significant price increases he had planned to put into place. Internationally, the Royal couple are rather favourably perceived and Jordan seems to be a haven of peace in this region where different conflicts aggravate neighbouring countries.

Petra attracts numerous tourists

Economy

Despite its lack of oil, Jordan isn't a poor country. Thanks in part to its relatively political stability, there is continuous growth. The country depends upon sectors such as agri-food, real estate services, the pharmaceutical industry and the textile industry. When going to the north of the country during your trip to Jordan you will discover that it's in this area where the best part of production levels of the agricultural sector take place. For example, the country produces a lot of olive oil, to the extent that it is its 8th largest producer in the world. The flower of Jordan remains in the mining industry. Potassium, phosphorus, gas, uranium, copper and magnesium make up for the lack of oil.

Tourism

This is a key area for the country's economy but unfortunately it heavily relies on the geopolitical climate of the region.The number of visiting tourists fluctuates. As soon as everything is calm, the number of visitors shoots up, investments grow and the tourism sector can represent up to 20% of the GNP. However, when the region ignites, as is currently the case in Syria and in Palestine, the sector literally falls to pieces.

David Debrincat
459 contributions