Jordan Times
Tuesday, July 10, 2007
Petra plan to provide quality experience
Tourism officials said on Monday they were planning a strategy to provide a quality experience for visitors to Petra,
following the ancient city’s pick as a new wonder of the world.
“The strategy is designed to put a new edge to the visitor experience at Petra,” Minister of Tourism and Antiquities Osama
Dabbas told a news conference.
“It will focus on meeting visitor needs, tackling transportation problems and guide-led tours, and addressing projected
tourist flow.”
Dabbas gave no further details, but said work on the strategy began several months ago.
Around 100 million Internet and phone voters have selected the rock-carved city and six other sites as the New Seven Wonders
of the World.
The Nabataean city of Petra, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, has annually drawn between 300,000-400,000 visitors over the past
few years.
The figure was expected to double, according to Farouq Hadidi, secretary general of the Tourism Ministry.
Fayez Khoury, deputy managing director of the Jordan Tourism Board, in charge of marketing the Kingdom abroad, said a new plan
to promote Petra was under way.
“It is a long-term strategic plan which I am confident will upgrade, develop and manage the site in a way that would attract more
tourists,” he told The Jordan Times, but gave no details.