Aqaba vacationers advised to plan ahead

AMMAN — Jordanians should plan ahead for their vacations at the Red Sea resort of Aqaba to have the privilege of choosing financially suitable accommodation options, a commissioner at the Aqaba Special Economic Zone Authority (ASEZA) said Monday.

In a phone interview with The Jordan Times, ASEZA Commissioner for Economic Development and Investment Affairs Sharhabeel Madi said hotels in the port city offer several options at various prices.

Madi noted that standard rooms with basic facilities in five-star hotels are priced at JD140 per night; rooms that have a view of the sea or pool can cost up to JD190-JD220 per night, while luxury suites could cost over JD1,000 per night.

“Early reservation allows visitors to choose the room they find suitable,” he said, adding that cheaper rooms are usually booked first.

Prices greatly depend on demand, according to Madi, especially with only 4,000 hotel rooms available in Aqaba.

“We have to work with the current number of rooms until new hotels open,” he said, and competition must not affect the quality of services.

Madi said Aqaba witnessed an “excellent” influx of visitors, mainly Jordanians, during the Labour Day weekend, with an average occupancy rate of 95 per cent.

“Occupancy rates at five-star hotels exceeded 100 per cent between Tuesday and Sunday morning,” he said, and ASEZA organised several cultural activities, bazaars and exhibitions over the weekend, including Indian Cultural Week, in cooperation with Indian embassy.

Preparations for the summer season are under way, according to Madi, with several activities planned for the fasting month of Ramadan, when Jordanians typically spend their evenings outdoors, staying up until after midnight.

Muslims abstain from food and drink from dawn until after sunset during Ramadan, the ninth month of the Islamic lunar calendar, which is expected to start in mid-June this year.   

Madi said the planned Ramadan activities, which will be based on “religious concepts”, still lack adequate funding.