The tourism industry has been keen on pursuing hotel expansion in the Dead Sea to accommodate rising tourist numbers to Kingdom
Amman - At least two new luxury hotels are slated for development in the Dead Sea this year as the industry seeks to meet rising tourist numbers to the area.
The first in line for official opening in December is the 5-star Kempinski Ishtar Hotel & Spa, currently under construction along the area's northern coastline.
The 250-room leisure resort, being developed by Kempinski Hotels & Resorts, is set to feature a designer wellness spa, outdoor whirlpools, lagoons and fresh Dead Sea water pools.
The hotel, owned and managed by the United Saudi Jordanian Hotels & Tourism Company, will also include a sports centre and tennis and squash courts.
Plans are also under way to build another upscale hotel along the underdeveloped eastern shores of the Dead Sea.
The JD10 million hotel, to be established by Al Ittihad Tourism Company, is still in its planning phase.
Ministry of Water and Irrigation Spokesperson Adnan Zu'bi told The Jordan Times his ministry has leased the company 42 dunums of land for the project's development.
Investments in the Dead Sea area have been steadily on the rise as the tourism industry seeks to market the area as a quality-vacation destination.
The therapeutic Dead Sea waters and mineral-rich mud treatments already render the site a key holiday hotspot.
The northern coastline especially has received the bulk of hotel/resort investments where two of the leading hotel chains are situated.
Currently, the Jordan Valley Marriott Resort and Spa and the Movenpick Resort and Spa are the only two upscale hotels in the area, along with the 4-star Dead Sea Spa Hotel, built in the 1980s.
The tourism industry has been keen on pursuing hotel expansion in the Dead Sea to accommodate rising tourist numbers to the Kingdom and in line with other development projects under way in the area.
The Ministry of Tourism is constructing a two-storey museum in the Jordan Valley area, which will exhibit the distinct topography and geological facets of the area.
The area has also become a focal point for conferences and business meetings and has twice held the World Economic Forum.
The construction of the new Al Hussein Convention Centre to cater for such meetings has itself led to the need for additional and high- quality accommodation facilities.
A mega-tourist resort named "Crystal City" is also under construction on the eastern shores of the Dead Sea.
The Ministry of Water and Irrigation signed a $140 million deal with Omnix Group last year for the development of several new hotels, a water park and convention centres on 142 dunums of land.
The project, which is slated for completion by end of 2007, will be carried out and managed by the Crystal Tourism Investment Company.
By Dalya Dajani
© Jordan Times 2005
