Long Eid holiday expected to see active local, outbound tourism

AMMAN – The nine-day Eid Al Adha holiday is expected to increase the number of vacationers inside Jordan and abroad, an official and sector leaders said on Saturday.

Sharhabeel Madi, commissioner for economic development and investment affairs at the Aqaba Special Economic Zone Authority (ASEZA), said Aqaba, a popular tourist destination for Jordanians, is likely to receive a "fair" number of visitors during the long holiday.

Madi said vacationers have started to flow to Aqaba since Friday and such a flow is expected to gain momentum during the days leading to the Eid. 

The hotel booking rate was “good”, but there were no specific figures by Thursday afternoon.

Jordanians used to wait till the last day to book tickets and identify their destinations, according to Shaher Hamdan, president of the Jordan Society of Tourism and Travel Agents.

This Eid holiday is different from any other holidays due to its length and people will exploit that by extending the number of days off during their tourism trip, Hamdan said, adding the travel has become a main activity for the majority of Jordanians during holidays, especially longer ones.

The local demand on Aqaba, the only sea outlet in the Kingdom, and other destinations in Jordan is expected to be the same as every year, Hamdan said, doing well but ranking below popular regional attractions.  

Turkey and Sharm Al Sheikh remain the most popular destinations for Jordanians due to their higher competitiveness, he added.

A source from a private travel agency described the demand on rooms in Aqaba and Dead Sea hotels as “excellent”, adding that his agency has offered “suitable” prices to the public to encourage local tourism.

The travel agency has also set motivational programmes to Turkey, Sharm Al Sheikh, and Malaysia in addition to a new destination to Bosnia in cooperation with a travel agency in Bosnia, the source told The Jordan Times over the phone.