Ajloun cable car project 75% complete

AMMAN — The Ajloun cable car project is expected to begin operating by the end of June or the beginning of July, creating more than 50 direct job opportunities for the local community in addition to hundreds of indirect job opportunities, according to Ajloun Governorate Tourism Director Mohammad Al Deek.

Deek noted that the project is currently 75 per cent complete and will be ready by the end of June. He said the project should double the number of visitors to Ajloun.

“The Ministry of Tourism has improved the infrastructure of the roads leading to the project, as well as the tourist sites surrounding the project. The cable car project will have a significant positive impact on domestic tourism and the national economy,” he told The Jordan Times over the phone.

“The project represents a great addition to tourism in Ajloun and the Kingdom in general, as it is the first cable car project in Jordan. It will increase the economic return from the project, as it is also associated with other tourism projects such as hotels, restaurants, tourist resorts, commercial markets and shops,” Deek said.

The Jordan Free and Development Zones Group (JFDZG) Chairman Khalaf Hmeisat told The Jordan Times that Ajloun’s cable car project aims to boost tourism in the northern region and to generate investment opportunities in the development zone, including hotels, conference centres, environmental chalets, shops and tourist restaurants.

Hmeisat indicated that the prices will be “affordable for everyone” and that the fare of the cable car has not yet been specified, emphasising that it is a “national tourist project for all Jordanians to enjoy”.

Hmeisat said the company will announce the available investment opportunities upon completion of the project, which will be presented to the private sector and investors both nationally and internationally.

He highlighted that Ajloun possesses all the tourism components of a beautiful nature reserve and a historical and religious legacy, which will “play a great role in the success of the project” as well.

The cable car project (2,550 kilometres), which will be available in all seasons, includes 40 eight-passenger sky trams and will be a 10-minute trip. The project includes a departure station in the Ishtafina Park and an end-of-the-line stop 550 metres west of Ajloun Castle. 

Hmeisat pointed out that it is possible to increase the trams to 60 should there be demand.

The project’s total cost is JD10.5 million, divided between JD6 million on designing, installing and operating the cable car, which has been covered by a grant from an Austrian company, and another JD4.5 million to prepare the facilities onsite by local designers and constructors, Hmeisat said. 

Mokhles Smadi, the owner of a tourism agency based in Ajloun, highlighted the importance of the Ajloun cable car project for the touristic programmes they offer, as the project will increase tourism, which will be “significantly beneficial”, especially after economic repercussions from the pandemic.

“We will be offering special trips for the cable car project, and I believe it will have a positive impact not only for tourism in Ajloun but for the whole Kingdom,” Smadi told The Jordan Times over the phone, expressing his hope for the success of the project.

Amer Freihat, who is from Ajloun, expressed his happiness and excitement for the car cable project. “I am very proud that such a project started in Ajloun, which will give a great and exclusive experience for everyone to enjoy the city differently,” Freihat told The Jordan Times on Tuesday.

Freihat indicated that the cable car project is a great addition to attract domestic, regional and foreign tourists to the Kingdom in general, not only for a specific time of the year but in all seasons.

“I am personally looking forward to trying it, and I encourage everyone to come and explore our beautiful city,” he said.