JORDAN aims to invigorate the tourism and cultural exchange relations with the Philippines to allow citizens from both countries to marvel at each other’s “wonders of the world,” its top envoy in Manila said.
Jordanian Ambassador to Manila Nasser Shraideh said Jordan’s tourism minister is expected to visit Manila in early 2027 to sign a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the Department of Tourism (DOT) to further enhance tourist traffic between the two countries.
“Tourism is not an end by itself, but rather a means to get Jordanians closer to Filipinos and vice versa. And I believe that tourism is the best way to introduce each other’s culture,” Shraideh said on Monday.
“I believe that you don’t visit Jordan, you experience Jordan. I think what we would love to offer is a unique experience for Filipino tourists to enjoy in Jordan — the culture, the people, the hospitality,” he said.
Shraideh told The Manila Times that Jordan “has human footprints” that go back over 2 million years ago. “We have one of the seven wonders of the world in Jordan, which is Petra. We have the lowest point on Earth, which is the Dead Sea,” the ambassador said. On the other hand, Jordanian tourists can marvel at the 2,000-year-old hand-carved rice terraces in Ifugao, often described as the 8th wonder of the world. It is included in the Unesco (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) list of world heritage sites.
“We have a ‘piece of Mars’ on Earth which is in Jordan. It’s Wadi Rum,” Shraideh said, referring to the location where the science fiction film “Star Wars” was shot. He also said that it was at the Jordan River that Jesus Christ was baptized. “And in 2030, we will mark the 2,000 years anniversary of Jesus Christ’s baptism in the Jordan River. We would love for Filipinos to come and witness this event.”
“I know that many Filipinos also love to do pilgrimage to the holy sites, and I think Jordan could be their gateway for visiting those sites, too,” Shraideh said.
Accompanied by Michael Alexander Ang, Honorary Consul of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan in the Philippines, Shraideh met with DOT Undersecretary Stanley Ng and Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) acting Secretary Tess Dizon De Vega.
Ang said Shraideh also met with the DFA chief of protocol, DFA director of the Office of Middle East and African Affairs, and officers and members of the Philippine Tour Operators Association Inc.
“We discussed our bilateral relations in the areas of tourism, and we have agreed that we have to work closer together to improve tourist flows between the two countries,” Shraideh said.
He said Jordan is famous for its hospitality services. “We have one of the best foods in the region. We have one of the best tourism services in the region. And I hope that we could tailor design some of the services and the products for Filipinos.”
“I believe that tourism should be two-way. While we would love to see more Filipinos coming and visiting Jordan, we would love to see more Jordanians coming and visiting the Philippines, too,” Shraideh said.
“We are hoping that early next year there will be a visit of the minister of tourism of Jordan to Manila to not only to meet with his counterpart from the government of the Philippines but also to engage directly with the stakeholders, tour operators, travel agents here to present what Jordan is about,” he said.
“There will be an MOU that will be signed between our two countries in this regard. We hope during the upcoming visit of the minister of tourism to Manila this MOU will be signed,” he said.
“We have agreed that while we don’t have direct flights between Manila and Amman today, we could make connectivity possible through one stop in one of the countries whether in your region or in our region,” he said.
Shraideh, Jordan’s nonresident ambassador to the Philippines, previously served as deputy prime minister for economic affairs, minister of state for public sector modernization from 2022 to 2024, and as minister of planning and international cooperation from 2020 to 2022. With diplomatic relations established in 1976, the Philippines and Jordan continue to pursue bilateral engagement, with Jordan ranking as the Philippines’ 82nd trading partner in 2025.
BERNADETTE TAMAYO
