Bangkok--Nov 11--eTurboNews
The World Tourism Organization (WTO) said Thursday it was "shocked " by the bombings in Amman and strongly condemned the terrorist attacks on three of the city's leading hotels.
In a letter to the Jordanian Minister of Tourism and Antiquities, Dr. Alia Hatough-Bouran, WTO Secretary-General Francesco Frangialli said: "We were shocked and saddened to hear the news of the bombings and would like to convey our heartfelt sympathy to the bereaved families of the victims and to the Government of Jordan."
He also promised the minister "any aid you may need in assessing the situation or support that could help Jordan recover from this tragic incident."
Amr Abdel-Ghaffar, WTO Regional Representative for the Middle East, emphasised that tourism many times proved its resilience. "I am confident in capacity of Jordanian tourism industry to recover quickly and strongly."
Latest tourism figures for Jordan show a nine percent growth in the first six months of 2005, after reaching 2.8 million in 2004, a 21 per cent jump over the previous year.
Tourism is the second largest source of employment in the private sector and the second highest foreign exchange earner, contributing more than
US$803 million (JD570 million), equivalent to about 10 per cent of Jordan's GDP.
For further information contact:
Rok Klancnik, WTO Press and Communications Department
T: (34) 91-567-8191 / F: (34) 91-567-8218, [email protected] www.world-tourism.org End.