Jordan Times
Thursday, January 10, 2008
Record number of tourists
visit Petra in 2007
By Dalya Dajani
AMMAN - A record number of tourists visited Petra last year with arrivals
topping 580,000 and encouraging the industry to introduce a range of development
schemes to sustain the flow.
Official figures showed a 62 per cent increase in visitors last year, up from
360,000 in 2006, who generated JD9.5 million in tourism receipts for the
country.
Suleiman Farajat, head of the Petra Archaeological Park (PAP), said the increase
in arrivals reflected the importance of Petra as a key historical attraction and
its popularity as one of the New 7 Wonders of the World.
“The increase is significant and we are working hard to ensure that the site
continues to draw more visitors, with plans to improve tourist services and
provisions,” said Farajat.
The plan, which is being devised with the support of the Ministry of Tourism,
includes introducing various changes to the site, according to the PAP official.
Among the changes are eight new trails which will take visitors on different
tours through the ancient city.
“Attracting tourists and giving them a quality experience of Petra as a whole
requires developing services both within the park and outside it,” Farajat told
The Jordan Times.
“Having more to see and do outside the park not only enhances the tourist
experience, but subsequently encourages them to spend more time in Petra,” he
added.
Farajat said a range of development schemes will be implemented by PAP and the
Petra Region Authority throughout the course of this year.
Welcoming the increase in visitors, head of the Petra Hotel Association (PHA)
Fawwaz Hasanat yesterday said that while it was an important achievement for the
industry, it was not enough.
Although the site draws thousands of tourists every month, the majority come on
one-day tours, which do little to impact the hospitality industry in Petra and
inject the area with the life and business it needs.
“As a tourist city, home to one of the New 7 Wonders of the World, Petra
continues to be sorely underdeveloped as a tourist destination,” said Hasanat.
“Development initiatives are slow and investments that can help boost Petra’s
potential still lag behind,” he added.
New efforts are a must to address the challenges facing Petra and its growing
popularity worldwide, according to the PHA official.
Hasanat said he has witnessed a growing number of younger visitors to the site,
which should be taken into account.
“The developments being planned must accommodate the needs of these visitors,
such as cinemas, cafés, restaurants as well as other recreational facilities,”
he said.
“All we have today are tourist sites and hotels which are nowhere near enough to
sustain the kind of visitors we are bringing in,” he added.
According to the official, these developments must be planned with the
engagement of all tourism stakeholders in Petra as well as the Jordan Investment
Board in order to attract local and foreign investments.
Establishing such projects is crucial for engaging the local communities of Wadi
Musa and Petra, who suffer high rates of unemployment, in productive work, added
Hasanat.
One area with potential for investment is a plot of land near Little Petra,
which has yet to be marked by the PRA.
Currently, a zoning management plan in the PAP is under way to enhance Petra’s
attraction as a tourist destination while ensuring its sustainability from an
environmental and preservation perspective.
The Ministry of Tourism, the Department of Antiquities, the Petra Region
Authority, Petra National Trust and the USAID/Jordan Tourism Development Project
are implementing the plan.