Khaberni - The Chairman of the Petra Development and Tourism Region Authority Commissioners' Council, Adnan Al-Suwaileer, stated that hotel bookings in Petra have decreased by about 80% during April from the total hotel capacity, whereas cancellations for May reached about 50%, due to the repercussions of regional circumstances and their effect on tourist movement.
Al-Suwaileer added in statements to the "Kingdom" TV channel, that the tourism sector in Petra started the year 2026 with positive indicators in visitor numbers, but these indicators sharply declined later, reaching almost zero levels at certain times, due to regional tensions, emphasizing that Petra is one of the areas most affected due to its local economy being heavily dependent on tourism.
Al-Suwaileer clarified that all Petra's hotels are operating regularly without any disruptions, and during the past period, the situations of struggling hotels were rectified, while currently, there are no hotels closed due to regional circumstances or a decline in tourist numbers, inviting to visit "The Rose City" and benefit from the mild weather, which contributes to stimulating tourist movement and supporting the local economy.
Regarding recovery efforts, he pointed out that the current focus is on stimulating domestic tourism through the "Our Jordan is a Paradise" program, which registered during its first week, participation from 5400 participants distributed over 168 tourist trips, involving 168 tourist guides and 43 tourism and travel offices, 20 restaurants, 30 hotels, and tourist camps, while the number of participants in Petra lodging programs reached 950 participants.
Al-Suwaileer added that the Petra Region Authority, in cooperation with the Tourism Promotion Authority, is working on attracting foreign tourists residing in the Gulf countries and Egypt through land routes, in addition to studying a proposal to reduce entrance fees for non-Jordanians, with the aim of stimulating demand and enhancing incoming tourist movement.
He explained that a set of preventive measures were taken to protect workers in the tourism sector and ensure their job stability, through activating domestic tourism programs and expanding tourist recruitment, in addition to forming a joint operations room including representatives from both public and private sectors to monitor sector developments and address immediate challenges.
Al-Suwaileer emphasized that supporting the tourism sector and local communities in Petra is a national priority, with ongoing coordination with government authorities to mitigate the effects of the decline, pointing out that the accommodation capacity of the city's hotels is estimated at about 5,000 rooms.
Relatedly, the cabinet decided that the government will bear the interest on financial facilities provided to tourism facilities, to enable them to cover operational expenses, especially employee salaries, in addition to facilitating the rescheduling and installment of financial obligations until the end of 2026.
This decision comes within the framework of supporting the sustainability of the tourism sector, mitigating the impact of the decline caused by regional circumstances, preserving job opportunities, and enhancing the facilities' ability to continue providing their services, thus ensuring the protection of existing investments in the tourism sector.
