By Khetam Malkawi

AMMAN - Many Jordanians are planning to spend the Eid Al Adha holiday outside the Kingdom, foregoing local resorts for destinations in Egypt and Lebanon, travel agents said on Thursday.

According to travel agents, Egypt’s fair weather and lower prices are diverting citizens from traditional local destinations such as Aqaba and the Dead Sea.

“The price being offered for three nights in Sharm El Sheikh equals the same price for one night in Aqaba or the Dead Sea,” Mohammad Qassem, reservations manager in Crystal Travel Agency, told The Jordan Times.

He noted that the majority of Jordanians who reserved with his travel agency are heading either to Beirut or Sharm El Sheikh this season, where three-night packages are being offered for JD120.

Holiday Travel Agency employees are also witnessing many Jordanians heading abroad for their holiday.

“Sharm El Sheikh and Cairo topped our reservations and Beirut came in the third place,” a Holiday reservation employee told The Jordan Times.

Other travel agents listed the Egyptian cities of Luxor and Aswan as top destinations for the Eid Al Adha holiday, which runs through Monday.

“The majority of our customers are heading to Luxor and Aswan this Eid, as we organise this trip once a year,” Subhi Zreiqat, a reservation employee in Express Travel Agency, said yesterday.

He noted that although the trip to pharaonic cities is more costly, many Jordanians seize the opportunity of the extended holiday to travel to the more exotic area.

Despite the droves of Jordanians seeking to go abroad, the occupancy rate at Dead Sea and Aqaba hotels is almost at 100 per cent this weekend, according to the Jordan Hotels Association (JHA).

The strong Eid showing is due to the high number of foreign tourists visiting the Kingdom, not domestic tourism, JHA General Manager Yasar Majali pointed out.

“The Eid vacation coincides with the high tourism season and all Aqaba and Dead Sea hotels are close to full-occupancy,” Majali told The Jordan Times, noting that the hotels’ occupancy rates have stood at 70 per cent over the past couple of weeks.