AMMAN — Hotel occupancy has seen an
increase since the ease of COVID-19 restrictions earlier this month, a sector
leader has said.
“Before the new eased measures went
into action, hotel occupancy was very low,” said Abdel Hakim Al-Hindi,
president of the
Jordan Hotels Association, in remarks to local media.
اضافة اعلان
“It did not exceed 13-20 percent at
most during the weekends, and no more than 10 percent during weekdays. However,
numbers started to pick up since June 20,” he said, explaining that hotels have
since reached 60-65 percent occupancy. The eased measures include the lifting
of the curfew for those who have been fully vaccinated and the reopening of
many sectors.
The increased occupancy indicates a
ray of hope for the tourism industry, which has struggled dramatically during
the pandemic, an official said.
"We expect that in September
and October, the tourism sector will witness a significant breakthrough and
growth if Jordan is classified as a green zone,” said Abdul Razzaq Arabiyat,
Director General of the Tourism Promotion Authority.
"Jordan is one of the most
wanted and preferred countries for tourists,” he added. “That is why I can say
that I am optimistic that upcoming days will be better for tourism
sectors."
“Tourist movement has begun to
gradually return as a result of the measures taken by the government, easing
restrictions, opening sectors, and allowing people from some countries to enter
Jordan by easing procedures related to the COVID-19 test,” he said. Vaccinated
tourists arriving to the country no longer need to register on the online
platform in advance.
In 2019, before the pandemic, Jordan
witnessed one of its best years in terms of tourism yet. Around 5.36 million
tourists visited the country in 2019, netting the country JD4.1 billion in
revenue.
But since the airport closed in
March 2020, Jordan has struggled to recoup its tourism losses. An ongoing
vaccination campaign at
tourist destinations such as the Dead Sea and Aqaba
hopes to attract guests once more.
Yaser Abdo, a travel agency owner,
told
Jordan News that "there is a slow improvement in the tourism sector
due to the good recent governmental decisions and procedures."
"The main problem here is that
some people are afraid from the new phase of COVID-19 because of the wrong
rumours they hear,” he said.
"I advise people in this regard
to be more courageous and know that travelling, whether inside or outside Jordan,
is safe due to the high standard protocols the governments take."
But Mazen Khair, a former ambassador,
suggested that the country needs to improve the tourism sector beyond just
easing COVID-19 measures.
"Tourists claim that Jordan,
compared to its high prices, does not offer good services in addition to the
lack of touristic places,” he said.
"We have beautiful areas that
we must benefit from,” he added. “The tourism
sector will provide us with big income” if we take advantage of it.
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