AMMAN -- Tourist traffic to the resort city of Aqaba is on the rise, with visitor numbers 12 per cent higher in the first half of this year compared to the same period last year, official figures revealed Tuesday.
Some 244,000 tourists visited the Red Sea resort between January and June compared to 218,000 in the same period of 2006, according to figures released by the Aqaba Special Economic Zone Authority (ASEZA).
The visitors, both local and foreign tourists, occupied 192,000 hotel rooms during the first half of this year compared to 181,000 in the same period of last year.
ASEZA Chief Commissioner Nader Dahabi yesterday commended the increase in tourist traffic to Aqaba, attributing the growth to ongoing developments and investments that have enhanced the city's appeal as a vacation destination.
Dahabi said Aqaba had also attracted more arrivals on cruise ships, with around 51 liners docking at Aqaba Port of between January and June, compared to 36 in the same period of last year.
Many of these cruises have been coming to Aqaba since October last year, with stops at other destinations on the Red Sea such as Safaga and Sharm El Sheikh in Egypt.
As a major hub in the area, ASEZA has been pursuing a fast track of development over recent years to enhance its tourism and recreational appeal for visitors.
The construction of several beach resorts, hotels and malls are part of this effort to help the city compete with Egypt's Sharm El Sheikh and Hurghada.
Several international hotels are also slated for development along with multi-million dollar resorts such as the Ayla Oasis on the northern tip of Aqaba, the JD350 million Tala Bay project on the southern coast of the city (which already saw a soft opening in 2005), and Saraya Aqaba on the western tip of the Gulf of Aqaba (slated to commence operations in 2009).
To boost business and tourist travel, it has also opened routes to allow more air traffic from chartered flights abroad, with two daily flights now available from Amman to Aqaba.
Other efforts to enhance the area as a leisure destination include the establishment of shopping malls.
One of the latest is a JD210 million mall and resort. Work on the Kurdi Group's Aqaba Mall and Resort is set to get under way this year. The project, located in the port city's free trade district, and scheduled for completion in the middle of 2010, will include a multilevel mall with retail and leisure facilities, 12 cinema theatres, a four-star hotel, an aqua park, a go kart area, a bowling alley and entertainment venues for shoppers and children.
'You are Here'
Meanwhile, in an effort to boost tourism services, ,ASEZA recently launched "You are Here" signs, which are installed in 24 different locations in the city.
The signs assist tourists and guide them across the city, offering information in Arabic and English about services and locations, and allowing them to explore opportunities and activities in Aqaba.
The signs, the first of their kind in Jordan, are part of a joint endeavour with the European Commission, which has been working with ASEZA since 2002 to develop tourism services in the zone and falls with the framework of the 10 million euro "Institutional Support for the Aqaba Special Economic Zone Authority Programme", designed to upgrade tourism-related aspects in Aqaba through promotion activities and enhancing its overall services.
By Dalya Dajani
© Jordan Times 2007
