مشاركات القراء

From boasting one of the world’s most ancient and beautiful archaeological sites, Jordan has proven to be a fresh spring in the Arab World with the number of tourists it attracts year after year. Yet, another side of tourism seems to be untapped, and according to his Majesty, King Hussein of Jordan, Medical Tourism is one of the nation’s treasures that should be highlighted in the ultimate aim of making Jordan a world-class destination for global travelers seeking such a service.

Middle Eastern Medical Expertise “Par Excellence.”

In its most recent accounts, the World Bank has ranked the Kingdom in the top five global destinations and number one in the region. Such appraisals don’t only stem from International Organizations; recently, Deputy Saudi Ambassador to Jordan Muhamad Atiq stated that around 70,000 Saudis visited Jordan in 2018 for medical treatment including some 13,500 who were admitted to hospitals. Atiq reiterated his trust in the Jordanian medical industry by stating that Saudi patients come to Jordanian medical centers because of their “good reputation.”

In more general terms, Jordan’s Private Hospital Association reported that more than 48 nationalities travel to receive medical treatment, among which are cardiovascular and cancer treatments, kidney transplants and in vitro fertilization among others. The latter culminates into approximately $1bn in revenue or 4% to Jordan’s Gross Domestic Product. Among many private and public healthcare institutions, a number of facilities in Jordan have received distinctive global accreditations such as the JCAHO international (Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations) accreditation bestowed upon the Jordan hospital and the JCI accreditation (Joint Commission International) received by the King Hussein Cancer Center.

A Home to Medicinal Healing Destinations

A touristic destination that has been attracting medical visitors from all over the region is the Dead Sea, well known for being the world’s first health resort. Individuals suffering from several skin conditions such as eczema and psoriasis have resorted to the Dead Sea due to its healing properties and that of its environment.

Another destination also well sought by individuals looking for healing properties is the Ma’in Hot Springs that are conveniently located just 13 kilometers from the Dead Sea. The cascading hot springs provide visitors with therapeutic properties to treat their muscle pains, skin diseases, blood circulation, and joints and back pains – all for an unparalleled relaxation experience.

What Really Attracts Patients to Choose Jordan for Medical Tourism

Apart from the latter, Jordan’s well maintained historical sites, diplomatic relations with many countries make traveling to Jordan relatively more accessible. Lately, the government has rectified a commission to regulate the sector, designing full bundles of medical tourism services, or door-to-door services, and promoting the sector abroad. Medical tourism is expected to grow even further through the provision of high-quality products and better coordination between stakeholders.

Jordan provides the perfect balance between medical treatments, wellness, and medical destinations. This is an interesting and essential mix where patients can heal and relax during their stay while undergoing their required medical procedures.

Air travel used to be a significant event in the early days of commercial flights. Passengers used to dress in their best outfits, take souvenir photos at the check-in desk and splurge on branded hand-luggage.

This significance though came at a hefty price, restricting air travel to the few people who could afford it. Today, with one-way flights selling for less than a fast food meal or long-haul bus ticket, budget airlines have made flying far more accessible to huge swathes of people. Vacations or business trips once reserved for top executives are now feasible for individuals and families with modest income.

Rynair, easyJet and other European low-cost airlines have changed the rules when it comes to travel, and presented flights as a viable and affordable alternatives to trains or driving on Europe’s highways. Official Aviation Guide (OAG) analytics reports that 36% of Europe’s airline market is dominated by low-cost carriers like Ryanair, Wizz and others.

The success and resilience of these airlines has pushed traditional legacy airlines to launch their own low-cost options, such as Lufthansa’s Eurowings. US legacy carriers also did the same, but with less success. The aim was to compete with low-cost carriers on the other side of the Atlantic like JetBlue and Southwest Airlines, which over the years have risen from ambitious startups to serious contenders to the three big traditional carriers in the US.

Of course, the success of Rynair and easyJet has fueled several copycats with varying success. The recent announcement of Air Germania’s bankruptcy is a reminder of the difficulties that face cost-cutting carriers.

What’s significant about the meteoric rise of budget airlines, is the type of travel and packages they have created. Often, low-cost carriers bundle up their cheap fares with affordable accommodation, creating “vacation packages” which saw a decline as passengers started booking their own flights and hotels, instead of travel agencies. In other words, short, affordable vacations have never been easier and show no signs of slowing growth and expansion.

Passengers might have had to save up all year for a 10-day trip to a destination, but with the advent of low-cost carriers, multiple 4 or 5 day trips to an increasingly wider list of destinations has become possible every few months now. Apart from being a welcome improvement for passengers, this has helped destination countries as well. Low-cost carriers use airports that are often in the less-congested part of cities, and the accommodation provided is also outside the usual tourist-trap areas. This has made travel experience more authentic for veteran tourists, discovering new destinations not over-saturated with tourists. It’s also helped these less-trodden areas see revenue from tourists they never have before, boosting local economies in the process.

Budget airlines are here to stay, and their growth shows no sign of slowing down. Cost-cutting on features that legacy airlines still retain was the key to low-budget carrier success, and many passengers don’t seem to mind less frills when flying. Of course, legacy airlines still fly two-thirds of passengers in Europe, and low-budget carriers face difficulties outside Europe, where travel within the European Union is easier and with less fees and taxes while traveling between member states.
So, if you don’t mind not having a screen, choosing your seat or getting multiple pieces of luggage, then budget airlines will help you save money on your fare, so you can spend more at your destination, or for your next trip!

Whether it’s the aesthetic appeal of your destination making it all the more “Instagram-able,” or the integration of different social, cultural and technological aspects into the everyday traveler’s journey, 2019 promises to be an exciting milestone for travel. Indeed, and with the advent of booking services as well as social media, consumers are well aware of where to travel; and now it’s time to discover what consumers desire when traveling with the unveiling of the 2019 travel trends.

Travel Companion Chatbots

As much as travel apps are useful for tourists, they are also considered a source of nuisance given that specific apps focus on specific market niches. An app might be able to book your flight; another might offer restaurant recommendations in the vicinity. As a result, many become redundant and occupy a significant amount of space. Travel chatbots, a simple software that interacts with you through chat, are refreshing alternatives that use pre-existing browsers or messaging apps and spares the user from navigating through different layers of information to get an answer to a simple query. Users can ask the bots anything relating to their travels and the bot would automatically answer with the help of its database. As an intricate interface coupled with Artificial Intelligence, these chatbots also get smarter with time as they get increasingly used to travelers’ preferences.

Eco-Friendly Destinations

As eco-conscious generations, Gen Z and millennials are ever more looking for sustainable destinations for their travels. From turning buffet and kitchen scraps into soil nutrients, to launching hydroponic vegetable and fruit farms that help hotels become self-sufficient, and adopting a reduced plastic policy, such initiatives appeal to the eco-conscious consumers. Investments in such initiatives seem to stir big talking points, especially for the younger and upcoming generations. A rising star amongst such destinations is the Jordanian Feynan Ecolodge located deep in the heart of the Dana biosphere reserve resting on Wadi Feynan. A true Bedouin experience, visitors can enjoy unique adventures in the breathtaking desert landscapes by day and rest with the local natives while sipping a cup of sweet tea at night.

Wellness Tourism

As consumers increasingly seek to escape the hustle and bustle of everyday life, wellness tourism seems to be the perfect opportunity for such travelers with it hitting the US $639 billion mark. Such trips are centered around providing travelers with opportunities to expand and explore oneself physically, mentally and spiritually. Trips organized around such a concept should include regular exercise, healthy food, and spa treatments. Even destinations sought by business people around the world have added wellness components so that travelers can keep up their healthy lifestyle while abroad. An example that perfectly illustrates such activities is the Juicy Mountain Rustic Health Retreat in Turkey. Visitors get to enjoy a wide variety of delicious juices sourced from local produces and head on to incredible daily yoga, fitness wrought, nature-connected journeys.

Sky Pass Services

For years, travel agencies have promised their customers to book the right airfare price, yet in most situations, trips are reserved and unsure whether prices will change or not. SkyHi, the first of its kind third-party airline service lets you fly up to five times per month without breaking the bank by paying a per month flat fee and booking one-way flights for as low as $35. With its intricate algorithm, the service surfaces departing flights within the next ten days and allows users to book their tickets without having to anxiously refresh their browsers looking for that low priced ticket to their favorite holiday destination. Alongside partnering up with major airliners such as Lufthansa, American Airlines, United and British Airways, SkyHi currently offers flights to premium destinations such as New York City, Paris, London and Toronto all the while adding additional cities to their maps.

Purposeful Travelling

As people’s desire to learn something new while abroad grows and according to booking.com, a travel aggregator and metasearch engine, a staggering 56% of travelers agree that traveling has taught them invaluable life skills, both volunteering and skill-based holidays traveling have become well sought-after destinations. Such purposeful traveling experiences are increasingly becoming more salient for the upcoming Gen Z generation which continuously questions expensive university degrees over life skills learned while traveling.

Undoubtedly, a common factor to such trends is the large degree of personalization that such developments in travel offer. For that same purpose, services centered around tourism have to keep consumers’ preferences in the forefront should they look to stay relevant in the future.

If you’d like to add a new travel adventure on your bucket list, consider booking yourself a cruise vacation. For many, this form of escape does not even cross their mind, but cruise vacations have endless fantastic, inclusive, and versatile options to offer that conquer any other form of vacation.

1. Entertainment and fun times for everyone

Cruise vacations are literally for every type of travelers of every age group. There’s anything for everyone so you can travel with your family or friends to relax, treat yourself to a spa, party and celebrate, or lounge by the pool, take your chance at water sports, or even try your luck at the casino tables. But that’s not all, there’s all kinds of entertainment and performances happening every night – from musicians, to dancers, and comedians, every night you spend on board a cruise you’ll get to experience something new.

2. Multiple destinations all at once

Other than the spectacular all sea view you get to feast your eyes on every day and the fact that you pack and unpack once, you can cross off multiple exotic destinations all at once. From island hopping to city hopping, depending on the season you travel on, you get to unplug for real as you embark and explore to breathtaking and beautiful places around the world all at once!

3. Cruises are becoming smarter, intelligent, and high-tech

With technology advancing and spreading across various industries, it has now made its way to cruise ships. Cruise lines with the likes of MSC and Royal Caribbean to name a few are upgrading to help you make the most out of your vacation. With apps and smart wearable bracelets, you get to book and check in to excursions in no time – interactive mapping technology also enables you to make your way to any location on the cruise itself. What’s more, with the wearable devices you can track your children in real-time and know their whereabouts at all times all to insure their safety when you need to get away for a while.

4. Let’s talk about the food!

The grandest thing really about cruise vacations is the food! Served 24/7, you can enjoy a delicious meal at any time you prefer, and you don’t have to worry about the price, because the food is all included in the ticket you purchase. So, you can rest assured to eat your heart out and enjoy a grand meal from any type of destination you can think of.

5. Several fun excursions to try

Active water sports, hiking, sightseeing, group and independent tours, museum and history tours, and wine tasting, you’ll have endless immersive and adventurous possibilities to select from and try. It’s always a good idea to check with your cruise line the activities they offer ahead of time as they book so quick.

So, what are you waiting for? Instead of flying, seek out the non-traditional path and treat yourself to all the fun all at once.

At only 9 years old, the San Francisco home-sharing platform is rapidly taking the lodging industry on a disruptive domino effect journey. Airbnb has inevitably come out revolutionary at a universal scale, as it not only switched the hospitality game but changed the ways we find places to stay at when traveling.
One of the most successful startups in Silicon Valley, Airbnb saw a gap in the hotel industry and offered travelers and local hosts a massive opportunity that hotels wouldn’t come close to offer. As Airbnb exploded, hotel demands decreased in favor of more affordable, personalized, and convenient home-sharing rental spaces. Unsurprisingly, Airbnb is now rivaling against the biggest hotel chains in the world in the most popular hot-spot destinations. Hotels are now not only competing against each other but Airbnb as well as it has taken the likes of the most tech-savvy generation by storm.
Unlike a hotel that takes you on an experience in its own way away from the city you are staying at, Airbnb catapults you in the heart of the city as you experience your new local home and connect with your host and surroundings. With Airbnb you get to live as a local at great locations for just the right price.

1. Embracing digital innovation and technology
Primarily tech-driven, Airbnb adopted the same methods used by hotels and adapted it to a home-sharing P2P network and later leveraged all this into a digitally based platform. By disrupting the traditional hotel industry, travelers now have a variety of creative rental stays that many hotels do not even possess. What’s more: Airbnb doesn’t own any of the listings on its site, hence making it a threat to hotels everywhere.

As it is in the heart of innovation, the platform focuses on both traveler and host experience during the entire journey. Since all actions, transactions, discussions, and reviews take place on the Airbnb platform, the home-sharing site uses this data to focus on the user and guest experience in order to build and grow their brand.

2. A tailored hosting experience
Unlike hotels, Airbnb hosts make you feel welcome before you arrive. This is all due to digital innovation where hosts and travelers can connect and become acquainted before they meet unlike a typical hotel experience. At the same time, these hosts are very beneficial to experienced and non-experienced travelers as they will recommend spots that you might not have otherwise heard of; think of it has having your own personal tour guide for free. This tailored hosting experience outperforms any hotel experience making Airbnb part of the large mainstream market. Furthermore, you’ll experience lodging like no other with the array of places to rent, such as treehouses, house boats, and creative trailers with spectacular views.

3. Customer Satisfaction at a whole new level
Although hotels heavily focus on customer care and satisfaction, they can’t beat Airbnb’s massive affordable accommodation that make guests feel right at home with the additional numerous benefits. Most houses and rooms are equipped with convenient amenities that include washing machines and kitchens, helping travelers save on pricey additional expenses that they would have to pay for if they had opted for a hotel. These additional amenities really make a difference to certain travelers depending on how long they decide to stay.
Another invaluable asset highly cherished by travelers is the flexibility that comes along renting a space. You are no longer confined to check in and check out at specific times as you would in hotels and be penalized to pay an extra cost for the room if you check in or check out late. Simultaneously, clients care about the cost they are paying as well as the additional benefits they receive. With Airbnb customer satisfaction sky rocketing (and not seemingly slowing down anytime soon), the more likely that hotels will have to find other means to innovate and attract clients.
The competition is strong and will most definitely not fade due to the favorable customized experiences.

4. Millennial focused appeal
Not only is this the most travel centric generation, passionate with creativity, authenticity, and a love for adventure, but millennials also desire to make social connections, consistently stay connected to the outside world, and are fascinated to experience fun, cool, and new spaces.

Airbnb and hosts bring just that, and millennials are embracing it. With great affordability and comfort through innovation, the competition is stronger than ever before, and this is evident as numerous hotels scrabble to create design scenic accommodations that are very spacious, open, and affordable, fit for millennial social interaction.

As consumers take more advantage of the benefits that come along with Airbnb, hotels will have to step up their game. Where hotels cannot provide room availability in high-peak seasons and increase their rates tremendously, Airbnb hosts come in and drop their prices to satisfy their clients and challenge hotels. This price to value proposition will continue to drive Airbnb to new heights and hotels will shake up to follow on the lodging game.

When you’re traveling, and you’re stomach starts to rumble, go where the locals eat. This is especially accurate in Jordan’s bustling capital city Amman. The great thing about Jordan is the variety of food and desserts you’ll be able to try. There’s something here for everybody, and more than enough to make you feel satisfied with the perfect appetizing culmination to your holiday.

Known as one of the most legendary street food restaurants in Jordan, Hashem is famous for serving the satisfied from all walks of life since 1952. Set in the bustling part of Downtown, this place is the epitome for all your food loving dreams. Picture this: as soon as you arrive to the restaurant and comfortably sit yourself outside, your food will magically appear from one of the many attentive staffs. No menus available here, but what is on the menu is everything! Enjoy a local and authentic food experience with the best falafels, hummus and much more for all your heart desires. Great atmosphere and great food; you can have breakfast, lunch, or dinner here. Eat your heart out.

Just leave some room for dessert as you head on over to…

Ok, this place truly lives up to its name! Habibah is the female way of saying ‘beloved’ in Arabic, as opposed to its origin world, habibi. You will fall in love with the special Jordanian delicacies here and lucky for you, you can take your favorite Habibah items back home, perfectly packed for safe travels.

This is a place where you can have dessert for breakfast. Jordanians truly know the way to please their cravings. Try the freshly made Kunafa in the morning, a freshly melted mozzarella, pastry covered, syrup-soaked dessert. Truly a mouthful.

What else is on the menu of this traditional sweet boutique? Baklava, ice cream, cakes, pastries, mamol, and much much more.

Truly a generous dessert heaven.

This is one of the oldest places serving shawarma in Amman. It’s a street kitchen concept, so stand in line and prepare to make your order. Just to give you a heads up, make sure you order 2 or 3 sandwiches for yourself. Reasons being, you will have the best shawarma of your life, this is the way Jordanians have it, and you’ll finish your first one in no time, and you’ll still want more!

It is authentic, out of this world delicious, and you’ll be feeling extremely satisfied.

Jordan’s traditional delicious dish is served here. Make sure you come here on an empty stomach and order the Mansaf, a national dish made of delectable and soft cooked lamb, served with rice and fermented yogurt. Cooked to perfection with delicious local flavors, this platter is large enough to feed more than one person. Truly, the perfect way to enjoying a meal with your friends and family.

Activities Itinerary

Amman:

If your first day is in Amman, you can choose to visit some of its ancient ruins while you explore the city. Located on a hill in the center of downtown Amman, Citadel, also known as the Temple of Hercules, is the oldest inhabited site providing a picture perfect panoramic view of the city.

Just downhill from the Citadel is the Roman Amphitheater, Amman’s most famous landmark dating back to the Roman period, as obvious as its name. Enough to seat 6,000 people and a regular sporting event in the summer, you can pretty much envision how people in the past would gather to watch the social events here.

Next, you can catch a 10-minute drive and visit King Abdullah Mosque, also known as the blue-domed mosque, and the only mosque in the country accepting visits from non-Muslims. It is worth a visit as the mosque can also be pin pointed miles away within the entire city. At the door, women will be provided with gowns to cover themselves, while men are recommended to wear long pants.

Petra:

Known as Jordan’s ancient city and three hours away from Amman by car, it is highly recommended that you take a move on and arrive as soon as you possibly can to this magnificent historical archaeological site. Have a walk around, immerse yourself in Petra’s world wonder, and take it all in. It is all truly a sight you will never forget. If you are feeling frisky, you might as well sit on top and enjoy a camel walk to experience the rest of the treasury.

Wadi Musa:

Depending on how much you want to spend, you can choose to sleep here for the night before your next and upcoming excursion. Wadi Musa is in fact the surrounding region of Petra. Many travelers flock to visit Moses’ Spring, supposedly where Moses slammed a rock into brownish water, making it drinkable. Truly a historical wonder.

Wadi Rum:

A one-and-a-half-hour drive away from Wadi Musa, it is extremely recommended that travelers stay here for at least one or two days. Think star gazing at night and camping with the Bedouins by the fire; it is truly one magical experience. Wake up early the next morning by sunrise and hike the red sand dune desert. It is a truly authentic and remarkable experience.

Dead Sea:

Once back in Amman, take a 40-minute ride to make sure you spend your last day basking yourself with the wonders of the Dead Sea. Lather yourself with the enriching and beautifying mud and then dip into the saline water for some miraculous floating action.

Aqaba:

If you feel like heading further and you have more money to spend, you can drive an extra hour to Aqaba, Jordan’s charming port city, located right at the Red Sea. Enclosed with beautiful palm trees, you can loosen and unwind right at this relaxing crystal blue watered sea.