Ammon News - AQABA- Aqaba has received about 65,000 visitors from across the Kingdom over the Eid Al Adha Holiday with the city's beaches attracting a growing number of holidaymakers after undergoing rehabilitation.

Aqaba's central beach is a major attraction to most visitors due to its proximity to shopping outlets in the city centre, giving shoppers a breathing space as they shun overcrowded spots.

Aqaba Special Economic Zone Authority ASEZA President Mohammad Saqr said the Authority had sought to ensure that adequate services are in place, noting that the phenomenon of sleeping in the city's squares which had haunted both residents and tourists and blemished its image, had diminished.

He said a clean and tourist-friendly environment in Aqaba would largely help to lure in visitors, noting that a set of regulations drawn recently by ASEZA in cooperation with concerned authorities had proven feasible and paid off through providing a safe environment for the visitor.

"Not a single incident occurred in Aqaba over the holiday despite a mounting number of visitors, and no congestions had been recorded on the city's streets, thanks to a traffic plan carried out particularly on the Corniche Road, one of the most crowded in the city," he said.

"The events organised by ASEZA have attracted the public, thus giving the Eid a special character beyond its routine image," said visitor Azmi Khleif, calling for a more versatile entertainment programme at major squares and assembly points of the city.

Others referred the rise in the number of tourists to "reasonable" hotel prices and "competitive" tourist product at the regional level.

Many of the city's merchants spoke of a boom in this holiday season in the free-duty Aqaba Special Economic Zone, which had helped to pull the market from a slump that had dragged on since the previous Eid due to tough conditions.

"Shopping varied from one market to another with tires, batteries and other auto appliances topping the list due to their low prices compared to anywhere else in the country," said trader Ghaleb Abu Rakhieh, adding that the clothes market had also witnessed a boom.

* Petra