Made in Jordan festival promotes local products, talents

AMMAN — With the double aim of offering activities for Jordanians to enjoy the summer and encouraging them to buy local products, the Made in Jordan festival opened Friday in the capital.

Held at Expo Land on the airport road, the festival, which runs until September 5, features products by Jordanian companies and handicraft artists and books by local authors from across the Kingdom.

“The main goal is to hold a festival for Jordanians, not for tourists. We want Jordanians to see their country’s products,” the festival’s director, Lana Saqqa, told The Jordan Times at the opening ceremony.

She noted that the initiative came from Jordan and Amman chambers of commerce in a bid to boost the tourism and commercial sectors.

“This is the first time we are holding a festival that encompasses so many local productive sectors,” Saqqa noted, adding that the festival features more than 1,000 participants.

At the festival’s opening ceremony, Trade Minister Maha Ali said the event reflects the private sector’s keenness on contributing to the development of the Kingdom and highlighting the progress it has achieved in all fields, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported. 

Representatives of the local commercial sector interviewed by The Jordan Times commended the initiative to hold the festival, which is open every day from 5pm until midnight. 

Hassan Smadi, of Hamoudeh Industrial and Trading EST, said the festival will provide the company with a suitable marketing venue. 

“The most important thing for us is not making a good profit, but promoting our products and gaining more clients,” he said.

Zaid Qaisi, a marketing officer at Zalloum Group, said the event is a chance for Jordanians to know more about local products, many of which are exported to other countries.

Handicraft producers are also taking advantage of the festival by presenting their finest products at its outdoor section. 

Tamam Yasouri, who came from Balqa, is among these artists. 

“It is a good destination for talented Jordanians to present their products and let more people know about their talent,” she told The Jordan Times.

Fatha Abu Saimeh, one of the festival’s visitors, said he had not known about many of showcased products, stressing that the event has given him a better idea about the role of local industries. 

The “Jordan-centric” atmosphere of the event attracted Abu Naser and his three children. 

“It is really important that organisers should not always think about tourists. They have to think about their people as well and hold activities for the local community,” he said.