RIYADH: Tourism has continued to be an integral part of Jordan’s economy, as the country recorded $3.45 billion in revenues in the first half of 2023, marking a 59.4 percent growth over the same period last year. This comes as the Arab nation welcomed over 3 million visitors in the first six months of the year, registering an increase of 60.2 percent, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported citing data from the country’s central bank. Data indicated that tourism in June alone reached $630 million, marking a 28.8 percent increase compared to the same month last year. Furthermore, Jordanian citizens’ expenditure on travel and tourism activities outside the country rose by 46.6 percent to reach $905.5 million during the first half of the year, compared to the corresponding period of last year. Expenditure peaked in June at $209.2 million, recording a 41 percent growth compared to the corresponding period last year. Jordan’s tourism income surged 88.4 percent in the first quarter of 2023 from the same period in the previous year to hit $1.671 billion on the back of a notable boost in tourism arrivals. It recorded an unparalleled surge, with more than 1.47 million sightseers visiting the country during the first quarter of 2023. This record number represented an increase of 90.7 percent compared with the 774,111 holidaymakers who visited during the same period last year. It surpassed the figure for the first quarter of 2019, considered a “golden year” for tourism in Jordan, when 1.146 million visitors and 966,483 overnight tourists visited the country. Jordan’s central bank data also showed a 68.4 percent spike in Jordanians’ spending on tourism during that period, reaching $422.3 million. The data revealed that tourism income in March grew year on year by 49 percent to total $614.7 million. The tourism expenditure in March rose 26.2 percent compared to the same month last year, hitting $139.9 million.