AMMAN — Tourism movement to Petra improved “remarkably” during the second half of September, recording 43,901 visitors during the month, with nearly half being foreign tourists.

 

Petra Development and Tourism Region Authority (PDTRA) Chief Commissioner Adnan Sawaeer said that the visitor surge coincided with the resumption and stabilisation of regular flight operations, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

 

September visitor numbers dropped by 8 per cent compared with 47,658 visitors in September 2025.

 

Foreign tourists reached 21,995 in September compared with 25,931 in September 2025, while Arab tourists totalled 3,560, Jordanian visitors reached 17,136, and residents accounted for 1,057, averaging 1,463 daily visitors.

 

Foreign tourists comprised 50 per cent of total visitors, led by the United States with 3,803, Russia with 3,004, Spain with 1,653, the United Kingdom with 1,437, and Germany with 1,178.

 

Total visitors for the first nine months reached 362,215, marking a 2.8 per cent decrease from 372,779 visitors during the parallel period of 2025.

 

Jordanian visitors went up by 26.6 per cent to 144,536 compared with 114,187 in the first nine months of 2025, while Arab visitors rose 3.3 per cent from 20,389 to 21,065.

 

Foreign visitors over the nine-month period dropped 17.8 per cent to 184,387 compared with 224,296 during the same period of 2025.

 

Founded by the Nabataeans, Petra is renowned for its ancient rock-cut architecture, royal tombs, and iconic Al Khazneh (The Treasury).

 

Petra, which was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1985 and named one of the New Seven Wonders of the World in 2007, remains a national symbol and a world-renowned destination attracting visitors from across the globe.