A plane carrying 220 Russian tourists arrived at King Hussein International Airport in Aqaba on Sunday after the Russian coronavirus control centre decided to resume air traffic to Jordan due to low numbers of virus cases, deeming Jordan as a safe destination for Russian tourists, according to a Jordan Tourism Board (JTB) statement.

Sunday’s flight is the first trip of a weekly regular commercial flight programme between Jordan and Russia that will last until the end of 2021, according to the JTB statement.

"The arrival of the first Russian commercial airplane to Aqaba with tourists who will visit historical and tourism sites will support the life cycle of tourism in Jordan,” Tourism Minister Nayef Al Fayez was quoted in the statement as saying.

He added that the tourism sector is fully equipped and ready to host international tourists, especially that the Jordanian government has managed to keep the emerging COVID-19 cases low and maintain the overall pandemic situation under control.

JTB Director General Abdul Razzaq Arabiyat said that the COVID-19 precautions that the government took in addition to easing restrictions have encouraged tourists to visit and explore the country. 

He added that the JTB is attracting commercial flights coming through King Hussien International Airport, located in the Aqaba Special Economic Zone, by offering them various incentives, in an attempt to revive the tourism industry.

"The tourists have booked through Travco Jordan international travel agency,’’ he said.

Arabiyat said that the JTB is expecting an increase in the number of Russian tourists in the upcoming period.

Travco said that the agency together with the JTB are working to put Jordan at the top of the Russian tourists’ destinations in cooperation with Russian commercial carriers, especially that Jordan has been removed from the Russian COVID-19 red zone list.

The travel agency also urged hotels to offer competitive rates to Russian tourists to encourage them to visit Jordan.