Jordan's tourism industry suffers as conflict in the Middle East trundles on

Being situated in a region of political instability and religious strife has cost Jordan dearly over the years - whether in relation to its misjudged support for Saddam Hussein's invasion of Kuwait in 1990 or its difficult balancing act in maintaining relations with both Israel and the Palestinians - and as such it is sad to see once again the ill-effects of geography on this most welcoming of countries.

As Deutsche Presse-Agentur is reporting this week, Jordan's tourism industry is in crisis, with the number of visitors this year at just 30 percent of where visitor numbers stood in 2010. The cause of the downturn is clear enough: violence in neighbouring countries dissuades potential tourists from coming, despite the fact that Jordan is much safer than many other popular tourist destination, whether in Western Europe, the Americas or Asia.

However, the tourism industry is a major source of revenue for Jordan, and all those who depending on tourism - either directly or indirectly - are suffering at a time when the country is already bearing more than its share of the burden in housing refugees from Syria and Iraq.

Let's hope that 2016 brings more positive news, both for Jordan and the wider Middle East.