‘Number of visitors to Petra in April the highest ever’

AMMAN – A total of 138,110 people visited Petra during April of this year, the highest number ever in the history of the ancient city as a tourist attraction, according to the Petra Development and Tourism Region Authority (PDTRA).

Over 138,000 foreign tourists visited Petra last month, as well as 17,247 Jordanians and Arabs, in addition to 1,785 students, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

The ancient city of Petra has seen active tourist movement since the beginning of 2019, said Suleiman Farajat, chief commissioner of the PDTRA.

In the first four months of 2019, the number of visitors to Petra increased to 377,385 visitors, compared with 292,334 visitors for the same period in 2018, he added.

The number of foreign visitors has also increased by approximately 47 per cent, Farajat said.

“Such an increase requires more development and investment projects in Petra’s tourism infrastructure and services to extend the visitors’ stay,” he said.

“Efforts must focus on overcoming obstacles hindering investment in the Petra region, in order to improve with the quality and level of services provided to the local communities and tourists, Farajat highlighted.

April has also seen the highest number of visitors ever in one day, which reached 9,133, according to the PDTRA.