Zara Investment Holding Company announced on last week that it will set up a six-million-Jordanian dinar, five-star resort in Al-Himeh in the northern part of the Jordanian Kingdom. Construction will commence in the first quarter of 2001 and is scheduled to be completed in 22 months, according to the company's general manager, Saleh Rifai.
Rifai said the company has recently purchased a 16-dunum plot of land from the government to preserve the site. He added that Zara is considering a complimentary project in Um Qais, the ancient Gedara — one of the decapolis which flourished in the era of Jesus Christ in Jordan, Palestine and Syria.
He said the project entails setting up villages with up to 70 rooms, similar to that of Taybet Zaman, and that the sites could be linked via cable cars. “Such projects will have an impact on local communities and will attract tourists to the northern part of the Kingdom,” he told the Jordan Times.
Another project, he said, is a tourist camp in Wadi Rum. To that end, he said, Zara is looking into feasibility studies to prepare for a master plan.
Zara has recently increased its paid up capital from JD80 million to JD125 million, becoming one of the leading and largest Jordanian investment companies. It operates 50 percent of hotel capacity in the Kingdom.
Jordan Himeh Mineral Company Public Ltd, a subsidiary of Zara, seeks to develop the Himeh mineral water site. — ( Jordan Times )
By Suha Ma'ayeh
© 2000 Mena Report (www.menareport.com)
