Jordan Tourism Board sees the Kingdom as key market for meetings, incentives, conferences and events

With a host of new facilities and services, a steady increase in MICE business is set to be generated for Jordan.

Marwan Khoury, Managing Director of the JTB said, "Jordan is already a popular destination for intra-regional travel within the Middle East. We are making concerted efforts to target meeting and incentives organisations, seeking unique experiences for future events. The Gulf region is a very important market for us and we want to increase awareness about Jordan's MICE potential amongst our target audience."

Jordan has made effective inroads into the conventions market, hosting a number of key events in the Middle East, highlighting its potential as a MICE destination including, The World Conservation Congress, The Global Summit For Peace In Tourism, The Arab League Summit and The World Economic Forum 2003. The Annual Congress of the Syndicate National des Agents des Voyages was also staged in Jordan, where over 800 French travel agents were taken to see a variety of the country's attractions.

With a stream of new renowned hotel brands across the Kingdom, unique venues and settings, state-of-the-art meeting facilities, breathtaking historical attractions, exquisite cuisine, and amicable and friendly people, Jordan is well positioned to host different events of any size.

Whether it is an international large scale conference for thousands of people, a lavish dinner in the peerless desert of Wadi Rum, or a reception atop a medieval castle overlooking the Jordan Valley, the business community will certainly enjoy state-of-the-art facilities while immersing themselves in an aura of cultural charm reminiscent of Jordan's heritage.

Some of the recent addition to the infrastructure in the country include a new Dead Sea convention centre, which will open for business just before the World Economic Forum in May 2004.

Moreover, The Zara Expo Conference and Exhibition Centre, Jordan's leading conference and exhibition centre, and the chosen venue for major events in education, information technology, hospitality and tourism, engineering and special projects, plays an integral role in promoting Jordan's MICE offerings. It is worth mentioning that the 4th annual comprehensive event for the Hospitality and Foodservice Industries of the Middle East - the International Hospitality Forum will be staged at the Zara Expo later this year.