[ad_1]
In Petra, Jordan’s spectacular archaeological marvel hidden deep in a desert canyon, Hussein Bdoul is all smiles as he tends to his camels: The tourists are back.
Years after the Covid pandemic turned the fabled “City of Roses” into a ghost town, the father-of-seven is back at work offering tourists rides in his decorated animals.
“Tourism has come back, and in larger numbers,” said Bdoul, 35, who wears Bedouin attire and a red turban over his long black hair, reflecting last year’s resurgence.
“During the coronavirus pandemic, we didn’t see anyone in Petra,” said Bdoul, a disaster for the town, which he said “90% of the people work in tourism”.
“We hope Almighty God keeps people healthy.”
The Jordanian Tourism Authority confirmed that Petra is back in business, attracting 900,000 visitors last year, close to the record of 1 million tourists set in 2019.
Jordan will receive 4.6 million tourists in 2022, nearly quadrupling the number in 2020, bringing in $5.3 billion for the country.
Popular spot Petra, known for its stunning temples carved out of rose-pink cliffs, is a United Nations World Heritage Site and was voted one of the New Seven Wonders of the World in 2007 in an online poll.
Founded in 312 BC, it was the capital of the ancient Arab kingdom of Nabataeans, which fell to the Romans in 106 BC.
The ancient city remained largely unknown in the West until a Swiss traveler visited it in 1812.
– ‘relieved’ –
“The place and the colors are unbelievable,” marveled Alia, a 16-year-old French student, who stopped to visit the souvenir stand after exploring with her mother.
Some 1,700 people earn a living in Petra as tour guides, trinket sellers, or take tourists around the site on donkeys, horses, camels, or electric carts.
“We were relieved when we saw the tourists come back,” said Muhammad Samahin, 16, selling drinks while sitting on a woven rug in the Moon Cave near the famous Treasury site.
Suleiman Farajat, head of the Regional Authority for Development and Tourism in Petra, said the post-pandemic tourism recovery has exceeded all expectations.
At the height of the pandemic, Petra, 230 kilometers (140 miles) south of the capital Amman, “had a few days without tourists”.
Farajat said the recovery was helped by official promotions in new overseas markets, low-cost airline flights and new hotel rooms.
Petra now has 4,000 rooms and has already licensed three new five-star hotels, so capacity will soon be double that of 2019, he said.
“If things continue like this, we could reach the threshold of two million tourists a year in Petra within the next three to four years.”
msh/fz
[ad_2]
Source link