The Parliamentary Tourism, Antiquities and Public Services Committee, headed by Representative Obaid Al-Yassin, approved a draft law for the development of adjacent lands for the Baptism site for the year 2021.

This came during a meeting held by the committee, today, Thursday, in the presence of the Ministers of Tourism, Nayef Al-Fayez, and Justice Ahmed Ziadat, and the Director General of the Baptism Site Authority, Rustam McJian.

Al-Yassin said that the committee approved the draft law, which consists of 14 articles, after in-depth discussions with the stakeholders, stressing that the committee will spare no effort to contribute to making Jordan a world-famous religious and historical tourist destination.

He stressed that the draft law will place Jordan and the site of the Baptism on the global map of religious tourism, and will contribute to attracting tourism and attracting investments, which will be reflected in the tourism sector, which is one of the most important tributaries of the national economy.

He pointed out that the adoption of the draft law came in view of the status of the Baptism site and its historical importance as a world heritage, saying, “We are in the bicentennial, and it is necessary to work on developing the site and providing the best services in line with global practices in this regard.”

According to Al-Yassin, the draft law aims to develop the lands adjacent to the baptism site, thus enhancing its importance to be among the most important and largest global religious and historical tourist destinations, and in a manner that contributes to supplementing religious tourism in the Kingdom, supporting and empowering local communities, enhancing their capabilities, and providing job opportunities for their children.

According to the draft law, a non-profit charitable foundation will be established, called (The Foundation for the Development of Lands Adjacent to the Baptism Site) and is concerned with developing the lands adjacent to the Baptism Site.

During the meeting, the representatives: Salem Al-Omari, Talal Al-Nusour, Aisha Al-Hasanat, Osama Al-Qawabe’ah, Abdul-Halim Al-Hamoud, Muhammad Musa Al-Gweiri, Nawash Al-Qawaqazeh, Majed Al-Rawashdeh, Abeer Al-Jabour, Zainab Al-Badoul and Khaldoun Hayna spoke, as they inquired about a number of points related to the “Institution for the Development of Lands Adjacent to the Baptism Site” and the tasks entrusted to it to achieve Its objectives are in addition to the amount of revenue that will return to the state treasury.

In turn, the two ministers, Al-Fayez and Al-Zayyat, answered all the questions raised by the deputies, and confirmed that the adoption of the bill would contribute to the development of the lands adjacent to the bath, which would enhance its importance as one of the most important religious and historical world tourist destinations.