By Amjad Baker
Albawaba.com - Amman
Jordan has announced a private sector-initiated project aimed at reviving a tourism sector left reeling by regional upheaval.
A tourist “passport” dubbed Passgate was launched late Sunday at the Amman Citadel, an ancient site rich with sixth century Umayyad art. Minister of Tourism Taleb Rifai made the announcement at the ceremony, reported the Jordan Times.
Passgate - the brainchild of United Suppliers Company and Romero Group - is a replica of the Jordanian passport that offers tourists an array of incentives ranging from discounts on souvenirs to honorary Jordanian citizenship once tourists visit a required number of sites.
Rifai told the press that his ministry had been kept abreast throughout the evolution of the project.
A source at the ministry told Albawaba.com that the ministry gave full support to the Passgate project, and was ready "to show the same support to any innovative ideas that would promote tourism in the kingdom."
For his part, director of the project at Romero, Zeid Qussoos, said that the idea of the project was to encourage tourists to visit Jordan more than one time by offering them incentives like free tickets, free accommodation and souvenirs from Jordan.
Tourists can have their $10 Passgates stamped at 14 key destinations, which will serve as "consulates" which stamp "visas" to prove that they were there.
For example, if a tourist has ten stamps in a Passgate, he or she will be awarded a Black Iris certificate, by which they will be entitled to certain privileges. More benefits will be gained if a visitor completes the tour of the 14 sites and is given a Jordanian Falcon certificate.
According to Julian Noursi, who is in charge of the project's marketing and sales, Passgate has obtained a patent and will be applied at the level of the Middle East.
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