Jordan’s tourism is constantly declining

Due to the threatening Arab Spring conflicts and violent civil war in Syria, peaceful and beautiful Jordan is experiencing an unprecedented lack of tourists

Unlike 15 years ago, when Petra used to welcome more than 700.000 tourists a year, these days the famous archaeological site in the Jordanian southwestern desert is chosen as a holiday destination by only 425.000 foreign visitors per year.

Locals, tourism operators and archaeologists are all affected by this situation, as explained by Sebastien Meriette, GM of Kempinski Ishtar hotel in Jordan. “Before the Arab Spring, 70 per cent of guests were international and 30 per cent local. Now it’s 40 per cent international and 60 per cent local,” he adds.

Dating back around 300 B.C., the city of Petra, also known as the "Rose City" due to its silhouettes carved into pink sandstone cliffs, is considered to be the gem of Jordan, an amazing attraction filled with ancient tombs and temples.

While specialists believe that more than 80 per cent of the city is still hiding underneath, the lack of funding makes it nearly impossible for Jordan to discover and present to the world the rest of the unique wonder.

As declared by Mohammad Abdelziz, the chief curator of the Petra Archaeological Park, most funds come from outside the country, as Jordan is unable to financially sustain the archaeological excavations. “The dip in income from tourism means there’s no money for development. We still get missions. This year Brown University is excavating but the funding for these digs is usually international.”

And Petra has indeed many things to yet show to the world. After an enormous monument estimated to date back to the second century was discovered earlier this summer, last week the archaeologists announced the unveiling of 2000 years old pool and gardens belonging to the ancient Nabataeans civilization.