Aqaba – The cruise ship ASTORIA GRANDE docked at the Aqaba cruise terminal for the first time, carrying about 670 tourists, most of them Russian nationals, along with 354 crew members. The arrival strengthens Aqaba's presence on international cruise routes and supports efforts to diversify target tourism markets.
اضافة اعلان
The ship arrived in Aqaba from the Egyptian city of Sharm El-Sheikh and is scheduled to spend the night in the city before leaving tomorrow for Hurghada, as part of its cruise bound for the Turkish city of Antalya.
Murad Shehadeh, head of tourism data and services at the Aqaba Special Economic Zone Authority (ASEZA), said the ship's first visit to Aqaba is part of the Authority's efforts to boost tourism activity, broaden the city's openness to international tourist markets and attract more cruise voyages, reinforcing Aqaba's standing as a tourist destination on the regional and international tourism map.
He noted that the ship is expected to return to dock in Aqaba next year, which reflects the opportunity to include Aqaba in its future cruise routes and to sustain the flow of arrivals from the markets these voyages target.
Shehadeh added that the ship's arrival, with its passengers and crew, is an additional opportunity to stimulate tourism activity in Aqaba and boost the benefits to tourism-related sectors, including transport, commercial services and tourism facilities. It also widens opportunities to promote the city's tourism assets and Jordan's tourist sites.
Cruise voyages are of strategic importance to Aqaba's competitiveness. Its location on the Red Sea offers the ability to link regional and international tourist destinations, making attracting cruise companies and expanding their routes to Aqaba a key way to strengthen tourism activity and diversify sources of the local economy.
