The Middle East

The recent surge in data usage is reshaping Jordan’s telecoms sector. Zain Jordan, the country’s largest mobile provider, is expected to introduce 4G long-term evolution (LTE) services that enable data transfer rates of up to 150 Mbps by the end of 2014. In 2013, Zain secured new 4G and additional 3G frequencies for $270.2m. The purchase has set off a race to provide the...

One of Jordan’s greatest strengths in the information and communications technology (ICT) sector is the availability of educated and skilled human capital. Given the country’s increasingly strong educational standards in ICT, low start-up costs and friendly business environment, Jordan’s expanding start-up sector is helping to position the kingdom as a leading location...

Whilst not endowed with the energy riches of its neighbours, Jordan can count among its blessing several natural advantages in its burgeoning tourism industry. The kingdom offers sweeping desert landscapes, natural hot springs, the rejuvenating shores of the Dead Sea and beaches along the Gulf of Aqaba. This natural landscape is further dotted with numerous religious and...

While the Jordanian tourism industry is expanding into new areas like adventure and ecotourism, one of the kingdom's more robust tourism niches is medical tourism. Over the past several years, Jordan has emerged as a premier destination in the Middle East for medical needs, given the high quality of health care and relatively low costs for patients.

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...