The Chairman of the Jordan Hotels Association, Hussein Hilalat, and members of the Board of Directors welcomed at the Association’s headquarters, representatives of a number of government and regulatory authorities concerned with the hotel and tourism sectors. The joint meeting was dedicated to discussing the development of regulatory and inspection mechanisms for hotel establishments, enhancing coordination and integration among the various concerned authorities, in a manner that keeps pace with the needs of the sector and supports its sustainability and competitiveness.

Hilalat welcomed the attendees, expressing his appreciation for their participation and cooperation, and emphasized that strengthening the partnership between the public and private sectors constitutes a fundamental basis for developing the tourism and hotel sector, and for reaching a clearer and more effective regulatory environment based on awareness, guidance, and prevention before violations, while ensuring compliance with the applicable legislation and regulations and enhancing the level of tourism services.

The meeting comes within the framework of the efforts undertaken by the Ministry of Industry, Trade and Supply, represented by the Economic Activities Inspection and Control Unit, to enhance integration among the regulatory authorities concerned with economic sectors, unify and coordinate regulatory efforts, and open channels for direct dialogue with the private sector. This contributes to identifying the challenges and obstacles facing establishments and addressing them in coordination with the competent authorities, and to overcoming regulatory and procedural difficulties, ultimately reaching a more efficient and clear regulatory framework that supports compliance and improves the business and investment environment.

The meeting also comes within the context of the efforts undertaken by the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities to regulate and develop the tourism sector, strengthen partnership with the private sector, and continue working to improve the regulatory environment governing tourism and hotel establishments, in a manner that contributes to raising the quality of services, enhancing the competitiveness of the Jordanian tourism product, and sustaining investments operating in the sector.

The Ministry, through its role in regulating the sector and supervising tourism activities and establishments, also emphasizes the importance of coordination with the various relevant government authorities, in a manner that ensures the integration of regulatory and supervisory roles and unifies efforts aimed at raising the level of compliance with the approved requirements and standards, while at the same time meeting safety and quality requirements and maintaining the continuity of tourism activities.

Hilalat emphasized the importance of ensuring that inspection of hotel establishments is based on the concept of correction and development before violations, through clarity of requirements, unification of procedures, and strengthening direct communication with establishments, in a manner that raises the level of compliance and reduces observations and violations, without regulatory procedures becoming an obstacle to investment or the continuity of business in the tourism sector.

The meeting included representatives from the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities, Ministry of Labour, Jordan Food and Drug Administration, Energy and Minerals Regulatory Commission, Ministry of Health, Social Security Corporation, Ministry of Environment, Greater Amman Municipality, Ministry of Industry, Trade and Supply, and the Public Security Directorate / Civil Defense – Prevention Department.

The participants discussed ways to advance the regulatory and inspection framework for hotel establishments, in a manner that achieves greater integration among the regulatory authorities, limits duplication and repeated visits, and enhances the efficiency of inspection and follow-up procedures, while taking into consideration the nature of the work of hotel establishments and the scale of the requirements associated with them.

The meeting also addressed the importance of strengthening partnership with the hotel sector when developing regulatory procedures and policies, and benefiting from the observations and proposals submitted by the sector, in a manner that contributes to building clearer and more applicable procedures, and enhances trust and communication between the regulatory authorities and hotel establishments.

The participants emphasized the importance of protecting investment in the hotel sector by providing a stable and clear regulatory environment, and unifying requirements and procedures as much as possible, in a manner that reduces the operational and procedural burdens on establishments, supports their ability to continue, expand, and improve their level of services, in line with the objectives of developing the tourism sector and enhancing its attractiveness for investment.

A number of issues related to regulatory mechanisms and the handling of complaints, as well as technical and health requirements, safety and labour requirements, environmental requirements, and other related requirements, were also discussed. The participants emphasized the importance of directing regulatory efforts towards violations and actual cases, and enhancing the efficiency of field visits in a manner that achieves the regulatory objective without imposing unnecessary burdens on establishments.

Within the framework of strengthening the preventive approach, the meeting discussed the preparation of a unified and comprehensive guidance manual clarifying the regulatory requirements and conditions that must be met by hotel establishments, in addition to organizing periodic awareness meetings and workshops in cooperation with the competent authorities, including those concerned with tourism affairs, to raise awareness of the laws, regulations, and instructions, and clarify compliance mechanisms and procedures for correcting observations.

The participants stressed the importance of continuing coordination between the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities, the various government and regulatory authorities, and the Jordan Hotels Association, in a manner that enhances the integration of roles and unifies efforts towards the sector, and contributes to addressing the challenges facing hotel establishments, improving the regulatory and investment environment, and raising the level of tourism services.

The participants affirmed that developing the regulatory and inspection framework constitutes an essential part of developing the tourism sector and enhancing its ability to grow and achieve sustainability, and that reaching a more efficient and clear framework requires continued dialogue and partnership between government authorities and the private sector, in a manner that achieves a balance between protecting the public interest and complying with legislation on the one hand, and supporting investment, sustaining hotel establishments, and enhancing the competitiveness of Jordanian tourism on the other.