Jordan

When Pope Francis arrived in Jordan as part of a Holy Land visit in May 2014, he was bringing with him more than a message of peace. For Jordan’s tourism sector, the Pope’s visit can be seen as a cornerstone in a new push to attract a wide variety of religious tourists to the country. Every year roughly 90,000 tourists visit the baptism site of Jesus Christ, a 6-km strip...

As Jordan has expanded the global reach of its industrial sector over the years, the kingdom has also developed a range of industrial zones. These aim to give the companies based there important advantages when it comes to both exports and imports, while also aiming to attract more foreign direct investment, international companies and joint ventures. The kingdom is also...

The mainstay of much of Jordan’s economy – both in terms of contributions to GDP and employment of the kingdom’s citizens – the industrial sector faces a number of important challenges. Among these is the necessity to remain competitive, while also boosting the value-added nature of the sector’s products, all at a time of rising costs....

As a key pillar of Jordan’s economy, the potash and phosphate extraction industry and its related fertiliser business has faced challenging times recently. While global output and competition has hiked, power and water costs in the kingdom have also been on the rise, affecting profitability and competitiveness. These challenges have also had their upsides, as the sector...

Recent years have seen Jordan’s retail sector grow in both sophistication and diversity, with the arrival of global-quality shopping malls and a range of international brands. The shift from traditional retail outlets to more modern ones is also under way, along with the beginning of destination shopping, with larger out-of-centre stores. The...