Petra witnesses increased tourist flow

AMMAN — A total of 800,000 tourists have visited Petra since the start of 2023, said Chairman of the Board of Commissioners of the Petra Development and Tourism Region Authority (PDTRA) Suleiman Farajat.

“The Kingdom’s tourism figures are expected to significantly grow by the end of the current year,” according to Farajat who told The Jordan Times that approximately 45,000 tourists visited Petra last August.

A total of 1.476 million guests visited the Kingdom in the first quarter of 2023, marking a 90.7 per cent increase from the previous year.

He said that Petra is currently undergoing a visible and positive transformation, whereas there are ongoing development projects aimed at promoting women’s involvement in tourist services.

Speaking with The Jordan Times, Khaldoun Lozi, a Jordanian tourism agent, said that “this year’s figures are expected to soar to new levels… there is an unparalleled surge in tourists who are not only interested in visiting the ‘Golden Triangle’ [Wadi Rum, Petra and Aqaba] but are excited to go to different governorates as well,”

Similarly, Omar Bedwan, an employee at a family-owned camp in Wadi Rum, told The Jordan Times that “increasing numbers of people are interested in ancient architecture, so they go and visit Petra and on their way back to Amman they spend a night at our camp”.

During May in particular the number of tourists soared by at least 40-50 per cent, he added.