Jordanians reduce costs for this Eid holiday trips

AMMAN — Although the number of Jordanians opting to spend Eid Al Adha holiday abroad is expected to tie with that of last year, the travellers' choice of accommodation has changed to more budget hotels this year, tourism experts and travel agents said.

There is an excellent turn out this season for travelling abroad to spend the five-day public holiday, they noted, adding that the level of favoured accommodation has changed.

“Jordanians spending their holiday abroad during this same season last year were selective of expensive resorts. This year, however, we are witnessing a change in the quality of hotels they are choosing; they are more inclined towards economic hotels in general,” Hadi Abu Soud, vice president of Jordan Society of Tourism and Travel Agents, told The Jordan Times on Wednesday.

While the volume of outbound tourism during the forthcoming Eid Al Adha public holiday is equal in numbers to that registered during the same season last year, the number of Jordanians travelling for vacation on Eid Al Adha holiday is far higher than the number of those who travelled during the public holiday of Eid Al Fitr in June, according to Abu Soud.

The outbound tourism sector this year started on a weak note, Abu Soud said, noting that the sector is now picking up for several factors.

“First of all, the coming public holiday is relatively long. Second, and most importantly, Jordan during summer serves not only as a destination for expats and Gulf nationals, but also as a transit point from which they start their summer vacations abroad,” the tourism expert noted.

 The fact that schools’ summer break is almost over, with the new scholastic year starting later this month or early September, is encouraging many families to travel abroad as they see the next two weeks as their “last chance" for a summer vacation.

On top destinations that Jordanians favour for Eid Al Adha, Abu Soud said Turkey and Sharm Al Sheikh continue to be the top travel destinations.

 “Antalya, Istanbul and Sharm Al Sheikh are the top three travel destinations for Jordanians this Eid holiday too,” he underlined.

Meanwhile, Wafaa Rabadi, a travel agent, said that while many people are booking to spend the public holiday abroad, the travel duration and chosen hotel rating has remarkably changed this year.

“We are seeing more people selecting fewer vacation packages and also choosing lower quality hotels. People still want to travel and get out of the country during the holiday, but this year they are generally more wary of the cost,” Rabadi noted.

She reported a high turnout for tourist packages abroad, also citing that Turkey and Sharm Al Sheikh as the top destinations.

Sabah Rashdan, another travel agent, said that many people are still showing up to the agency’s different branches to book tourist packages, although the Eid holiday will start in less than a week.

“Many of the flights and tourist packages have been booked since the start of the month, but a substantial number of people are still showing up and making reservations. It is a good season,” Rashdan highlighted.