Petra hotels offering Eid discounts to boost domestic tourism

AMMAN — Hotels in Petra are offering discounts to encourage domestic travel during Eid Al Fitr, which falls in a low tourism season this year, the Petra Hotels Association (PHA) said on Thursday.

As part of a programme initiated by the PHA, the Ministry of Tourism and the Petra Development and Tourism Authority, hotels are offering discounts of up to 50 per cent on packages to Petra, some 235km south of Amman. 

“Petra is a unique and different tourism experience, but around 90 per cent of the visitors are from Europe,” PHA President Khaled Nawafleh said, adding that the number of foreign tourists has dropped. 

“Many people have cancelled their trips and reservations [in Petra] due to instability in the region,” Nawafleh told The Jordan Times. 

The special offers aim to promote domestic tourism in Petra and across Jordan, starting from Eid Al Fitr, which is expected to start on Tuesday or Wednesday depending on the sighting of the crescent moon.  

The packages cover transport from various governorates, Nawafleh said, adding that buses would be provided when the number of visitors from a governorate reaches 40. 

“The project was launched once before in 2004, and it was a success. That year we recorded a high number of visitors from Jordan,” the official said.

He added that he expects a low number of visitors on the first day of Eid, which is celebrated at the end of the fasting month of Ramadan, with a higher turnout on the second day. 

The offer is available for one or two nights at one- to four-star-hotels in the city, Nawafleh said, adding that the packages includes breakfast and dinner and entrance fees to Petra. 

The initiative also aims to introduce Jordanians to the massive platform that was recently discovered by archaeologists in the city, he noted. An employee at a four-star hotel in Petra said the high season for tourism in Petra usually runs from September to December and from April to May.

A single room in his hotel costs around JD31, while double rooms are JD43, the employee said, adding that twin rooms are JD59 and a four-bed room costs JD76. 

The activity “Petra by night” can be added to the package for a cost of JD17, said the employee, who asked to remain anonymous. 

Only 17 rooms have been booked for the first day of Eid, while 24 are reserved for the second day of the holiday and 42 on the third day, he said. 

“Domestic tourism is witnessing a decline. Out of 170 rooms, the highest number of reserved rooms is 42,” the employee said.

Ahmad Ajjouri, who works at a reservation office in Amman, said most Jordanians book rooms in Aqaba and Dead Sea hotels for Eid Al Fitr.

“The hotels in Aqaba and the Dead Sea are more expensive than those in Petra, but Jordanians still choose places by the sea,” he told The Jordan Times.

Ajjouri added: “Although there is a special rate for the Jordanian market, domestic tourism is not witnessing any progress.”