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'No shopping in Jordan' Israeli instructions spark public outrage

By Ahmed Bani Mustafa - Jan 09,2018 - Last updated at Jan 09,2018

During trips organised by Israeli inbound travel agencies, which include a short stay in Jordan, tourists are often told not to ‘spend a penny’ while in Jordan, stakeholders said (Photo by Amjad Ghsoun)

AMMAN — Social media users have criticised Israeli travel agencies for instructing tourists of Israel-Jordan combo trips "not to buy anything from Jordan".

During trips organised by Israeli inbound travel agencies, which include a short stay in Jordan, tourists are often told not to "spend a penny" while in Jordan, stakeholders said.

Esther Nimry, wrote on Facebook: "I heard this on several occasions, and it is true, they come for a day trip to see Petra with their packed lunches."

"Jordan is a beautiful country and has magnificent sites, the people working in the industry depend on tourism for living, this is not a charity," she added.

Meanwhile, Bashirah Busu Alzubeidi noted that some places charge JD3 for a small bottle of water and some souvenir shops are "very expensive".

Aida Bichara-McNally wrote: "Nasty neighbour... shopping in Jordan is brilliant, genuine souvenir handcrafted by persons with disabilities & women."

Heike Abdel Karim said that tourists should be able to decide for themselves if they want to buy anything at all, what they buy and where they buy it. "These restrictions are ridiculous," she added. 

Janet Grainger commented by saying "our home is full of lovely Jordanian things representing happy memories there. We love it. And they have a wonderful king and queen".

"Israel tourism strategy is based on attracting the largest possible number of tourists with a "massive" budget for its tourism ministry compared to Jordan's spending," a stakeholder, who preferred to remain anonymous told The Jordan Times.

"The purpose is not solely economic but also to show Israel as a state with a good image," he added.

"Many tour leaders escorting groups from Israel to Jordan and back told us that the Israeli travel agencies instructed them not to buy any souvenirs from Jordan," Imran Nuseirat, a souvenir shop owner, told The Jordan Times. 

"They tell their clients that all Jordanian products are 'made in China'," he claimed, adding that many tourists told him that the Israeli customs officials would confiscate any products with Arabic writing.

 

The shop owner stressed that he saw trip notes that read "no shopping in Jordan".

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