Nayrouz News Agency : As the tourism sector has taken a hit due to the coronavirus lockdown, a Jordanian tour guide has started a new enterprise to run virtual tours of ancient sites in Jordan for tourists abroad.

Tourism is among the sectors most negatively affected by the COVID-19 pandemic in Jordan, and with the total work stoppage, tour guides are facing unprecedented economic challenges.

But the closure of borders and lockdowns has not stopped Sami Atmeh, a Jordanian tour guide working in the field for 25 years, from continuing his work.

"In light of the pandemic, a huge number of people would welcome the idea of attending virtual tours, especially with the availability of communication technologies that can bring people together from all over the world," Atmeh said. 

The programme provides virtual tours with multilingual guides, in addition to private and group tours with a set price for each category, Atmeh said.

He noted that the programme will also serve people who are not able to travel due to reasons other than the pandemic, including people with disabilities and students abroad, among others.

The tour guide said that he is working on addressing technical challenges, especially Internet coverage in some tourist sites.

Angela Smith, a UK national, was the first tourist to join the virtual tour from London. The tour was conducted in the ancient city of Jerash, located some 45km north of Amman and the second largest archaeological site in the Kingdom.

Smith said that she was grateful to attend the virtual tour and see Jerash live with a commentary about the landmarks and the history of the ancient Roman city.

Voicing her appreciation, she said that the experience enabled her to "visit” world wonders from her own living room in real time with a local guide.