The head of the Jordan Hotels Association, Hussein Hilalat, said Friday that hotel occupancy rates remain below the desired level, noting that they should range between 70% and 80% during the current period.
اضافة اعلان
Speaking to Al Mamlaka TV, Hilalat said regional conditions had led to a decline in tourist numbers. He noted that the peak tourism seasons are March, April and May, as well as September, October and November.
He added that the date for the return of low-cost airlines remains unclear. Only one airline resumed operations on September 22, operating two to three flights per week. Hilalat expressed hope that low-cost air services would return.
Regarding tourism in Petra, Hilalat said hotel demand there had declined since the start of the Israeli war on Gaza on October 7, 2023.
He said the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities and the Jordan Tourism Board are working to increase visitor numbers by organizing events and celebrations that could help attract more tourists.
He added that the government is promoting Jordan as a tourism destination in alternative markets to Europe, including China and Japan. He said King Abdullah II’s visit to China would contribute to increasing the number of Chinese tourists visiting Jordan.
According to data from the Jordan Hotels Association reviewed by Al Mamlaka, the average occupancy rate at hotel establishments in Jordan stood at 38% in September 2026, with 256,097 occupied room nights out of 532,860 available nights.
The data showed that there were 166 three-, four- and five-star hotels, of which 135 provided occupancy data. A total of 276,763 room nights remained unoccupied.
Amman recorded the highest occupancy rate among the main tourist destinations, at 59%. The capital had 131 hotels, including 109 that provided data. Of 388,200 available room nights, 219,891 were occupied and 168,309 remained unoccupied.
The capital also had 244 establishments in other categories, including one- and two-star hotels and serviced apartments, with a total of 6,209 rooms and monthly capacity of 186,270 room nights.
The Dead Sea ranked second with an occupancy rate of 44%. It had 10 hotels, eight of which provided data, with 76,200 available room nights. Of these, 30,229 were occupied and 45,971 remained unoccupied.
The area also had one establishment in other categories, including one- and two-star hotels and serviced apartments, with 10 rooms and monthly capacity of 300 room nights.
Petra recorded the lowest occupancy rate among the main tourist destinations, at 12%, according to the overall data. The area had 25 hotels, including 18 that provided data.
Three-, four- and five-star hotels in Petra had 68,460 available room nights, of which 5,977 were occupied and 62,483 remained unoccupied.
Petra also had 38 establishments in other categories, including one- and two-star hotels and serviced apartments, with 978 rooms and monthly capacity of 29,340 room nights.
The data indicated that the low occupancy rate in Petra comes amid the closure of some hotel establishments, while some others were not included among those providing data.
By hotel category in the three main destinations, five-star hotels in Amman recorded the highest occupancy rate at 76%, followed by four-star hotels at 55% and three-star hotels at 47%.
At the Dead Sea, five-star hotels recorded an occupancy rate of 50%, compared with 37% for four-star hotels.
In Petra, five-star hotels recorded an occupancy rate of 18%, four-star hotels 16%, and three-star hotels 3%.
According to the combined data for Amman, the Dead Sea and Petra, the three destinations had 532,860 available room nights in September 2026, of which 256,097 were occupied and 276,763 remained unoccupied, bringing the average occupancy rate to 38%.
