14 cruise ships carrying 16,000 tourists to dock in Aqaba

AMMAN — Fourteen cruise liners are expected drop anchors in Aqaba during April, according to an official from Aqaba Special Economic Zone Authority (ASEZA). 

The cruise ships, three of them which already arrived, carry around 16, 000 one-day and overnight visitors, ASEZA commissioner for economic development and investment affairs, Sharhabeel Madi, told The Jordan Times on Tuesday, noting that most of the visitors come from European countries.

As well as spending time in Aqaba, the tourists’ itinerary includes other destinations in the “Golden Triangle”, the triumvirate of Aqaba, Petra and Wadi Rum, Madi said.

Some of them will also visit sites outside of the triangle such as the Baptism Site and the Dead Sea, he continued.

The port city, 330km south of Amman, usually witnesses a hike in the number of Jordanian, Arab and international visitors during April who come to the Kingdom to enjoy site-seeing, shopping and maritime activities.    

On tourism indicators for this year, Madi said that they have increased by 200 per cent compared with last year, adding that ASEZA is currently working on detailed statistics "soon to be published".

The official underscored the "huge" number when compared to the past few years, stressing that the authority is working to ensure quality services and organisations for the visitors.

Aqaba is Jordan’s only sea gate, sharing the Red Sea’s Gulf of Aqaba with Saudi Arabia, Israel and Egypt.