Nayrouz News Agency : HRH Crown Prince Hussein on Wednesday stressed the need for service providers in the tourism sector to comply with public safety guidelines to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

Chairing a meeting to discuss measures related to domestic tourism, Crown Prince called for coordination among various stakeholders to ensure the sector remains open and prevent any potential harm, according to a Royal Court statement. 

The Crown Prince Hussein noted the importance of taking measures to mitigate the damage suffered by the tourism sector over the past period.

The Crown Prince also urged quick action to provide support for workers and establishments in the tourism sector, to enable them to offer quality services and recoup the losses they suffered during the lockdown, the statement said. 

The Crown Prince called for stepping up awareness activities and utilising smartphone applications to safeguard public health and limit the spread of COVID-19.

The ministers of tourism, finance and health, the chief commissioner of the Aqaba Special Economic Zone Authority, and the managing director of the Jordan Tourism Board attended the meeting.

The government has recently launched a package of decisions to reduce the general tax on hotels and tourist restaurants from 16 per cent to 8 per cent, while the tax in the Aqaba Special Economic Zone remains at 7 per cent.

Moreover, the government has reduced the service tax on tourist restaurants and hotels from 10 per cent to 5 per cent, as of July 2020