Tourism in Petra rises to 53% in Q1

Statistics from the Petra Tourism Development Region have revealed an uptake in foreign visitors coming to Petra, Jordan for the beginning of this year.

During the first three months of 2019, foreign visitors to Petra increased by 53% to 219,503 guests compared with 143,345 in the same period of 2018.

The total number of visitors to the region during Q1 2019 was 239,275 of different nationalities in comparison to 176,154 visitors last year.

The month of March 2019 was flagged up by the Petra Tourism Development Region as a particular highlight for visitor figures.

One hundred sixteen thousand one hundred thirty-two visitors from different nationalities visited Petra, as well as 7,611 Jordanians and Arabs.

Following the surge in foreign visitors to the region, the chairman of the board of commissioners of the authority of the Petra Tourism Development Authority, Sulaiman Al-Farajat, said it would ignite calls for the development of investment projects aimed at increasing the duration of tourist stay.

According to the statement, Farjat pleaded for further efforts to be made to invest in the Petra tourism and hotel sector, and expects the total number of hotel rooms in Petra to increase by 300 rooms in 2019.

He added that investment volumes in the hotel sector in Petra could exceed JD36m in the next two years.