Aqaba — The city of Aqaba is witnessing a tangible improvement in its tourism sector's performance, as the average length of a tourist's stay rose from 1.9 nights in 2025 to 2.2 nights in the first half of 2026, an indicator reflecting the effectiveness of efforts and incentive packages aimed at boosting the city's appeal and enhancing its tourism competitiveness.
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The Aqaba Special Economic Zone Authority is targeting a gradual increase in the average tourist stay to between 3.2 and 3.5 nights, which would help increase tourism spending, energize sectors linked to the tourism ecosystem, maximize their impact on the city's economic cycle, and strengthen the presence of the "Golden Triangle" on the regional, international, and local tourism map.
According to Thabet Al-Nabulsi, Commissioner for Tourism and Youth Affairs at the Aqaba Special Economic Zone Authority, there are deep institutional efforts grounded in data and figures, as the authority has formed a highly specialized team to study and analyze tourist and visitor data, ensuring decisions are based on solid scientific grounds that support the sustainability of the tourism sector and guide it toward the most viable directions.
Al-Nabulsi told "Al-Ghad" that Aqaba had actually begun its tourism recovery phase before the regional situation cast its shadow and repercussions on the area, noting that having backup plans ready for immediate implementation, along with deep lessons drawn from past experiences and crises, directly contributed to making Aqaba more resilient in the face of fluctuations that affected neighboring tourism markets.
He affirmed that there are innovative promotional plans specifically directed at tourism in the Wadi Rum area and its surroundings, which will soon be developed and launched to activate licensed tourist camps and elevate the level of services provided there, along with other unique tourism products the region is rich in, which represent an exceptional draw for nature and adventure enthusiasts.
Attracting Inbound Tourism
Al-Nabulsi also explained that the authority is working side by side, in close cooperation with the local community and the private tourism sector, to build an integrated and sustainable system of tourism products and experiences in Aqaba and Wadi Rum, aiming to achieve the most important strategic goal: extending the tourist's length of stay and deepening their cultural and recreational experience.
He noted that the efforts made and the incentive packages have contributed to raising the average tourist stay from 1.9 nights last year (2025) to 2.2 nights in the first half of this year (2026), while pointing out that the authority's ambition and ongoing efforts aim to reach rates between 3.2 and 3.5 nights, which would positively reflect on the overall economic cycle.
On the matter of attracting inbound tourism, Al-Nabulsi added that packages targeting outbound/international tourism rely on a different standard based on the number of tourism nights, with these incentives offered to travel agencies to encourage them to market Aqaba as a primary destination, alongside packages linked to conference, meeting, incentive, and exhibition tourism, globally known as "MICE."
Regarding the events and festivals industry, Al-Nabulsi said the authority's new strategy focuses on organizing events described as having economic content and impact, not merely artistic or entertainment value, citing the "Amwaj Plus" festival as a successful model through which the authority seeks to link hotel stays and tourism and commercial activity to these major events.
On tourist turnout amid the volatile regional conditions, he revealed that foreign and inbound tourism from distant markets saw a near-total halt internationally, along with a sharp slowdown due to the complex geopolitical conditions casting their shadow over the entire region. However, Aqaba's management managed to handle this major challenge with flexibility by redirecting its marketing focus and intensifying attention on domestic tourism, which proved to be the sector's safety valve, alongside targeting markets in neighboring Arab countries connected to Aqaba through direct flights and easily accessible land crossings.
Al-Nabulsi said the official data and statistics monitored and verified by the Aqaba Special Economic Zone Authority showed a tangible rise in visitor numbers during the first half of this year (2026) compared to last year, despite the surrounding regional conditions.
Prior Strategic Planning
For his part, economic expert Dr. Marwan Al-Nuaimat explained that these figures didn't come out of nowhere, but are the result of prior strategic planning. He noted that comparing these rates with the same period last year (2025) shows a qualitative leap, since occupancy rates back then didn't exceed 70% even at their best, due to confusion in reading the regional situation, meaning the authority today possesses forward-looking tools that have allowed it to absorb shocks.
Al-Nuaimat pointed out that this rise in length of stay naturally includes an increase in hotel nights, engagement in various tourism activities, and active presence in tourism and commercial facilities in general, which generates new job opportunities and stimulates local markets that rely heavily on the purchasing power of visitors coming from various governorates and neighboring countries.
The owner of a tourist camp in Wadi Rum, Awdah Al-Zawaideh, said involving the local Bedouin community in shaping the tourism product is the real guarantee for preserving the authenticity of the place, adding that visitors seek out Bedouin stories and the hospitality inherited from ancestors, which has raised the rate of repeat tourist visits by more than 20% compared to last year.
Hotel sector worker Mohammad Al-Abdalat explained that linking major events, such as the "Amwaj Plus" festival, to accommodation packages has brought about a shift in hotel marketing concepts, noting that early bookings exceeded 60% thanks to these festivals compared to 2025, when the sector relied only on last-minute bookings.
The Golden Triangle, which includes Aqaba, Wadi Rum, and Petra, is witnessing active and exceptional tourism activity this year, as the Aqaba Special Economic Zone Authority has launched new and innovative incentive packages and support programs to boost domestic and inbound tourism and extend the length of tourists' stays at these unique sites.
