G Adventures helps revitalize tourism in Jordan at GX

Nearly 700 attendees are on location for GX Jordan this week with G Adventures, helping to revitalize tourism at a time when the destination is seeing a significant drop in visitors.

Putting it into perspective, Malia Asfour, managing director for the Jordan Tourism Board in North America, said popular sites like Petra went from “over tourism to no tourism” with only 1% occupancy rates recorded in August and July.

Malia Asfour, managing director for the Jordan Tourism Board in North America in Jerash

“We usually get about an average of 5,000 visitors a day to Petra and now we’re at trickles. You can imagine the impact that has on the people, the culture, the local economy in Petra. Most of the people in Petra work in the tourism sector so to go to having no income is devastating,” she shared. “Tourism is our oil, it’s our largest foreign currency earner in the country, so when we don’t have tourism it affects us economically across the board.”

With travel advisors, industry personnel and media on hand to see what the destination offers, she hopes to get the message out that Jordan is safe.

G Adventures’ Hilary Arsenault, David Green and Erin Rogers

“We have many hotels that had to close unfortunately because of this and it’s only because we are victims of misperception. If there are riots in LA, should that stop us from going to Las Vegas or to Santa Fe? If there’s a problem in Toronto, should that keep us from going to Montreal? This is the kind of perception that we suffer from, to give you perspective,” noted.

At the same time, Asfour pointed out that US Aid pulling out of Jordan also negatively impacted the destination.

The Canadian Change Makers, who earned their spot at GX Jordan by selling G Adventures trips

“We’ve lost 70,000 jobs — that’s a big loss for a country this small. There’s a lot of changes that have happened because the U.S. economy is affecting the Jordanian economy,” she added.

Notably, Asfour told TravelPressToday that the Canadian market has been resilient during this challenging time.

There are 10 different tracks on location for GX, including VIP’s, representing important partners like Ensemble, Trevello, TL Network, TravelSavers Canada and more

“The Canadian market is so important to Jordan,” she said noting that since representation began in Canada in 2005, the Canadian market has steadily grown. “It’s been the best case study for Jordan. Every year the Canadian market has been this beautiful market that’s just increased slowly. It used to be a secondary market and it’s now become a key source market … It’s been a resilient market throughout the crisis. When you look at the percentage of resiliency, the Canadian market has been the most resilient in terms of travel to Jordan.”

Notably, the Canadian Change Makers attending GX Jordan earned their spot by selling G Adventures trips. While attending GX India last year, Laura Leys, an Edmonton, AB-based advisor with Fareconnect, made it her mission to make it to Jordan this year.

Lunch is served at Beit Khairat Souf, a project supported by G Adventures’ non-profit Planeterra Foundation

“One year ago when it was announced that Jordan would host GX Summit 2025, I knew I had to be here. I worked hard to earn my place with the Change Makers team representing Canada, and it has been worth every step,” she shared. “Jordan has long been on my bucket list, and while there can be hesitation around safety, I trusted that if GX was operating here, I would be safe. And that has been proven true—this country is welcoming, vibrant, and full of life.”

Her personal highlight of the adventure so far was experiencing Petra by day and by night.

Petra has gone from “over tourism to no tourism” dropping from 5,000 visitors a day to “trickles”

“It’s absolutely breathtaking—stunning, magical, and unlike anywhere else in the world. I’m hopeful that by sharing my experiences here on social media, I can help showcase the beauty of Jordan and encourage more travellers to visit. This is a country that deserves to be on everyone’s list,” Leys said.

Also on location for another GX is Amanda Morrison, senior travel agent at The Travel Lady Agency (South Travel Inc.) based in Calgary, AB, who told TravelPressToday that local vendors in Petra told her about how difficult the last few years have been.

The Storytellers track (media) enjoyed exploring Wadi Rum on 4×4 trucks

“I am loving Jordan. I feel like G Adventures has raised the bar again with this year’s GX, and we haven’t even finished yet. Yesterday at Petra I spoke with one of the vendors and he said that the last few years have been really tough. They were only starting to recover their business after Covid when the conflict started in Israel/Gaza and tourists stopped coming. With no tourists they have no one to buy the souvenirs. He was very excited to hear that all the people wearing the GX t-shirts were travel agents, and that we were learning about his country to send our clients to Jordan,” she said. “During the last few days I have never felt unsafe, and the locals have been very welcoming. You never hear about Jordan in the news, though you hear a lot about its neighbours. I am looking forward to sharing with my clients about my trip and expelling the myth that it isn’t safe.”