Occupancy rates in Dead Sea hotels went up to nearly 60 per cent this past weekend, according to Abd Al Hakim Al Hindi, president of the Jordan Hotel Association.

"This percentage is very high compared with last week, which was about 22 per cent, while the occupancy rate in the capital, Amman, reached nearly 16 per cent, due to domestic tourism in Amman and the Dead Sea region,” Hindi noted.

The rates had increased due to the government’s decision to reopen tourist facilities in hotels like swimming pools and cafés among others, in addition to the weather conditions, Hindi told The Jordan Times on Sunday.

Hindi pointed out that high occupancy rate is considered a positive indicator for the upcoming weeks. "The percentage will increase further in the event of a decline or stability in the number of cases and their location, especially if they are outside the hotel facilities,” he said.

The association president highlighted the extent of the "clear commitment” to adhere to public health and safety measures by the hotel guests.

"The presence of health inspectors from the government to ensure compliance with the health protocols was influential for all hotels at the Dead Sea,” Hindi noted.

He also noted that as thousands of people went to the Dead Sea area over the past weekend, there were incidents of COVID protocol violations, which led to the closure of some side streets, Hindi told The Jordan Times.

"We are not against this, but there must be order and discipline for the people and families on public streets, especially after the efforts of the government to improve the situation, we must maintain the continuity of occupancy in all sectors,” he noted.

Hindi stressed the importance of domestic tourism at the present time, saying that "domestic tourism is a good start, we have plans with the Jordan Tourism Board to implement it in all governorates, not only the Dead Sea area or Aqaba”.