'Thousands of Jordanian expats expected home for Eid’

AMMAN — Thousands of Jordanian expatriates in the Gulf region are expected to cross into the Kingdom from Saudi Arabia in the last week of Ramadan. 

An official at the Jordan Customs Department (JCD) told The Jordan Times on Wednesday that hundreds of cars for expatriates have entered border crossings from Saudi Arabia in the past few days. 

At least 10,000 cars carrying Jordanian families are expected to arrive in the Kingdom in the last week of the fasting month to spend the Eid Al Fitr holiday with their families, he added. 

"We are ready to receive the expected large number of cars at both border crossings with Saudi Arabia — Omari crossing and Mudawara crossing," said the official, who asked not to be named because he was not authorised to speak to the media. 

The customs officer said cadres at border crossings have been boosted to meet the rising numbers of visitors coming from the Gulf region. 

This summer, according to the official, tens of thousands of Jordanians and Saudis as well as Gulf tourists are expected to spend their holidays in the Kingdom. 

"Saudi visitors are expected to head to Jordan immediately after Eid," said the official. 

Last year, over 200,000 cars entered the Kingdom from border crossings with Saudi Arabia in the months of June and July, according to JCD figures. 

Official figures estimate the number of Jordanian professionals working abroad at around 750,000, over 300,000 of whom are based in Saudi Arabia, followed by the United Arab Emirates with nearly 200,000.

Saudi media outlets rank Jordan among the preferred destinations for Saudi holidaymakers, along with Dubai and Bahrain.

Travellers from Saudi Arabia represent the largest number of tourists during summer, as official figures by Ministry of Tourism show that over 1 million visitors come to Jordan every year.