São Paulo – The Jordanian ambassador to Brasília, Maen Masadeh, and a team from the Jordan Tourism Board are in São Paulo to promote religious tourism to the country. In addition to the tour routes through the Jordan River, the executives showed there are many other possibilities for destinations in the country, which is mentioned several times in the Bible and has sacred sites for Catholics, Protestants, Jews, and Muslims.
The agency organized a seminar in the capital city of São Paulo this Wednesday (6) to give more details about the nation’s touristic diversity. Amer Al Twal, Faith Tourism Specialist at the Jordan Tourism Board, gave a point-to-point presentation on new possibilities for sights mentioned in biblical texts. “We have a lot of stories from Old Testament Christianity. Why do we always make the same pilgrimage?” he asked.
The Jordanian ambassador opened the seminar by explaining Brazil is the first country where the action is conducted. “In Jordan, when we want to make an invitation, we start with whoever is closest to our heart, so we started with Brazil,” said Masadeh.
This is the second visit by the diplomat, who took office in Brazil in 2021, to São Paulo. “This time, the focus is on tourism. Now, thank God, COVID is almost over. And we want to move forward. Our ties cannot remain cold. We need human interaction. And that is what we are doing,” explained the ambassador.
The event featured the participation of tourism agencies representatives and leaders of different faiths in the audience. The appointments will go on, seeking to strengthen ties with other representatives of Brazilian institutions. “We will visit church leaders. We will not focus on a single one, but all the churches,” said Al Twal.
At the event, an Iftar was offered, an evening meal for Muslims to break their fast during the Ramadan period. The specialist also recalled the peaceful coexistence between the different religions in Jordan itself. “The local community is committed. In Jordan, we are looking forward to coexisting. Everyone in Jordan is a family. We have Islamic and Christian sites. So, it is not just a holy land. It is about belief,” he said.
Upturn
Tourism in the Levantine country was on the rise before the pandemic. In 2018 and 2019, there was a 49.9% increase, but with the pandemic, the sector was deeply afflicted. “The numbers halted with COVID, and now we are focusing on sustainable adventure tourism and, especially, faith tourism. The expectation is for [the sector] to grow again. And what comes next is our plan to focus on São Paulo. It is a big city and, next, we can do more in other Brazilian cities. We are cooperating with our friends, such as the Arab Brazilian Chamber of Commerce. I consider them brothers and consistently receive excellent support. We plan more events, and some of them in partnership with the Arab Brazilian Chamber,” said Maen Masadeh.
Among the authorities at the seminar was the president of the Arab Brazilian Chamber (ABCC), ambassador Osmar Chohfi. “They were able to bring this audience an idea of the diversity of Jordan’s tourist attractions. In addition to having such significant sites for Christianity, Jordan also has other sights from different times in history. This all makes Jordan a very captivating and enriching tourism destination. It is top-quality tourism,” said Chohfi.
Maen Masadeh visited the ABCC headquarters this week and met with Chohfi. “During the ambassador’s visit, we discussed some projects we are already developing with Jordan. He mentioned Jordan would bring companies to the APAS Show and is interested in a substantial presence at the Brazil–Arab Countries Economic Forum,” said the ABCC president. The APAS Show is a food show to take place in May in São Paulo, and Arab companies will exhibit at the event. The ABCC will host the Brazil–Arab Countries Economic Forum in July.
Translated by Elúsio Brasileiro
