Aqaba — Following a recent boost driven by an influx of visitors and the hosting of international conferences over the past two weeks, Aqaba’s markets have returned to a quieter pace, prompting traders to adopt a more cautious outlook. Although tourism activity has yet to translate into sustained commercial growth, businesses are looking ahead to the winter season and the approaching Christmas holidays next month, hoping to revive sales and benefit more from the city’s tourist presence.
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While the arrival of visitors from across Jordan and different parts of the world gave local markets a temporary lift, the impact was not evenly distributed across commercial activities. Clothing stores, along with other businesses, remained particularly vulnerable to the decline in shoppers and actual purchases after the busy days associated with visits and events came to an end.
From a commercial perspective, the issue is not simply the absence of visitors, but the ability of markets to turn their presence into demand for goods. Busy streets and high occupancy at tourist facilities do not necessarily translate into a corresponding increase in sales of clothes, shoes and other products, particularly when visits are short or limited to a conference schedule or a specific tour.
Trader Mohammad Al-Kaswani said the past two weeks had brought better activity than previous periods, with businesses feeling that the market had regained some of its vitality.
"However, this improvement did not continue at the same pace. Waiting hours inside shops have become longer again, and customers entering a store do not always end up making a purchase," he said.
"The problem is not a complete absence of demand, but rather its fluctuations. We need activity that continues throughout the season so we can plan our purchases and meet our financial obligations. A short-lived recovery gives us a chance to catch our breath, but it is not enough on its own to build stable expectations or expand our stock," he added.
Opportunities to explore and shop
Al-Kaswani’s remarks highlight the difference between tourism activity driven by events and occasions and commercial activity that requires a broader customer base, including both residents and visitors. Assessing the season, therefore, cannot be based solely on the number of visiting delegations or conferences. It should also take into account the length of visitors’ stays, their spending habits and whether they have opportunities to explore markets beyond the locations included in their programmes.
Al-Kaswani noted that conference visitors may divide their time between meetings, accommodation and related activities, leaving them with fewer opportunities to explore and shop. By contrast, visitors travelling for leisure or family holidays may allocate part of their budgets to shopping. This makes visitor diversity an important factor, although it does not guarantee that all commercial sectors will benefit equally.
Mohammad Al-Hasanat, a tourism sector employee, said international conferences provide an important opportunity for Aqaba to welcome visitors from different markets. However, maximising the commercial impact of these visits requires introducing participants to the available shopping options, allowing sufficient time for tours and connecting the city experience with the products and services offered by its markets.
Comprehensive shopping malls and commercial centres have emerged as competitors attracting a larger share of residents’ purchases, according to the information presented. They benefit from bringing together a wide range of necessities under one roof, including vegetables, fruits, groceries, cleaning products, clothing and other goods, allowing families to complete much of their shopping in a single visit.
As these centres become more widespread across the city, residents’ daily shopping habits are changing. Ease of access, time savings and a wider range of options have become important factors in choosing where to shop. Meanwhile, specialised stores face the additional challenge of persuading consumers to make a separate trip to buy items that may not be among their immediate priorities.
Resident Imad Al-Faqir said shopping at a centre that offers vegetables, fruits, groceries and cleaning products helps families organise their purchases, particularly when time is limited.
"This does not mean that shops in the city centre have lost their importance, but we compare prices, distance and the convenience of getting most of what we need in one place," he said.
Product variety and service quality
However, this advantage does not necessarily mean that malls capture all consumer spending or outperform specialised stores in every product category. Specialised shops can compete by offering a wider range of products, quality service, an understanding of customers’ needs and flexible customer relations, as well as options suited to different budgets. These factors can give them an important position in the market when supported by transparent pricing and genuine offers.
Trader Ahmad Al-Riyati said attracting shoppers depends on consistently meeting their needs and providing a convenient experience, rather than simply drawing customers away from other markets.
"Consumers choose what suits them. Comprehensive centres and specialised shops can operate within the same market, offering different options and catering to varying patterns of demand," he said.
In the clothing sector in particular, preparations for the winter season are becoming a greater focus for traders. They are introducing collections suited to families’ needs, diversifying their stock and highlighting attractive offers in an effort to stimulate demand before the season reaches its peak. However, purchasing decisions also depend on actual weather conditions, available household budgets and the timing of upcoming visits to Aqaba.
Clothing trader Mohammad Abdeen said preparing for winter involves more than simply displaying new merchandise.
"It requires selecting products and prices that suit customers, as families have become more careful about their purchases. We are therefore trying to provide a variety of options and clear offers, while hoping that activity in the coming days will gradually revive the market," he said.
A visitor from a colder governorate may find Aqaba’s markets an opportunity to purchase winter essentials during a trip, Abdeen added, but this depends on whether the prices and quality offer genuine value.
"We need to maintain customers’ trust and ensure that promotions are not merely slogans displayed in shop windows, without a clear difference that shoppers can actually see," he said.
Resident Ali Al-Bazayeh said the mild weather encourages his family to visit Aqaba at this time of year to enjoy a change of scenery and spend time together. They also make a point of visiting local markets, particularly when Aqaba’s traders offer promotions that allow them to purchase their needs at reasonable prices and acceptable quality.
"Purchasing decisions depend on comparison, not simply on seeing the word 'sale'. If we find a genuine price difference and receive good service, we buy. We may even allocate a larger share of our trip budget to shopping. But if prices are similar to those in our home governorate, we generally limit our purchases to what we need during our stay," he said.
