‘Saraya Aqaba project construction provides 3,000 local job openings’

AQABA — The construction process of the Saraya Aqaba real estate project is providing 3,000 job opportunities for the local community in the southern governorate of Aqaba, said Alaa Batayneh, the CEO of Eagle Hills Jordan.

"If the local community does not fill the whole number of jobs, then we will get guest workers," Batayneh told reporters during a briefing he presented on the project as part of a media tour organised by Eagle Hills this week.

The Abu Dhabi-based private real estate investment and development company focuses on the development of new city hubs in high-growth international markets and manages the project in Aqaba, some 330km south of Amman.

Batayneh noted that after the end of the project, another 2,000 job opportunities will also be available.

The CEO described the 634,000 square metre Saraya Aqaba project as a village incorporating business, cultural, social and family facilities that will meet all different tastes.

He announced the inauguration of its dedicated onsite sales centre, along with several completed residential mock-up units, which he called "an important part of this investment".

The project is expected to include more than 850 high-end residential units, in categories including grand villas, villas, grand and garden townhouses, apartments, beach club duplexes and lofts, according to a Saraya Aqaba statement.

Batayneh said sales have not started yet but will open soon.

He added that the project will also include four international hotels that will be managed by top international companies. The hotels will consist of a total of 1,115 rooms, around 800 of which are expected to be ready by the end of 2017.

Moreover, the CEO highlighted a conference centre that forms part of the project and is expected to accommodate around 2,000 visitors.

"These centres help revive the areas they are in," the former minister explained.

The Saraya Aqaba project will include retail facilities such as Souk Saraya, which is an urban lifestyle centre incorporating pedestrian-friendly zones and streetscapes. It consists of retail and commercial outlets, as well as restaurants, cafés and nightlife venues, according to the company statement.

Saraya Aqaba will also feature a number of leisure and entertainment facilities such as Aqaba’s first water park, an open-air amphitheatre, a sports park, a children's club, and a residents’ beach club, the statement said.

Last month, Saraya Aqaba partially filled its central lagoon, the statement added.