Jordan has begun work on a multi-million-dollar Japanese-funded tourist project overlooking the Dead Sea, which it is hoping will bolster its stricken tourist industry, officials said.
Tourism Minister Taleb Rifai and the Japanese ambassador to Jordan, Shintaro Sasaki, laid the cornerstone for the Dead Sea Panoramic Complex which should be completed within 18 months at a cost of $3.8 million. The new site will be built with a $70 million loan by Japan to finance several tourism projects.