Citizens, gov't expect further prosperity as city joins magnificent seven
AMMAN/PETRA -- Authorities said they expect the number of tourists visiting Petra to double after the ancient city was chosen one of the New Seven Wonders of the World in a global poll whose results were announced in the early hours of Sunday.
"The inclusion of Petra in the list of the New Seven Wonders of the World gives an indication that more tourists are going to visit Jordan and the city," Faruq Hadidi, secretary general of the Tourism Ministry, told Agence France-Presse.
This was "expected to increase tourism revenue, market the Kingdom and enhance the national economy," Hadidi said.
"The result reflected the importance of the rose-red city as a cultural, tourist and archaeological site," he said, adding that around 400,000 people visit Petra each year.
"We expect the figure to double."
This view was reflected by people around the Kingdom, including those in the Petra region.
"The city will witness a significant turning point in tourism," Ali Hleilat, a local shopkeeper in Wadi Musa, near Petra, told The Jordan Times.
"I expect my business to benefit so much from this win," Hleilat added, noting that other businessmen in the area share this view with him.
According to official figures, the ancient city witnessed a 15 per cent increase in visitors in the first five months of the current year -- from 194,346 tourists to 223,084.
Petra, 210km to the south of Amman, is part of the so-called Golden Triangle (along with Aqaba and Wadi Rum), the trump card of national tourism industry.
Prime Minister Marouf Bakhit, meanwhile, said Petra's win should be invested to maximise benefit from Jordan's tourism potential.
The prime minister said that his government is investing in the selection of Petra as one of the wonders of the world and will be applying a new approach to market Jordan as a tourist destination.
Bakhit was speaking at the opening of a conference organised by the Nabataean House, under the slogan "Petra: Centre of Human Culture", in cooperation with the Jordan Tourism Board.
Bakhit announced that a convention centre would be built near Petra ruins to host major events.
Petra, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is already the venue for the Nobel laureates annual gathering, which started three years ago.
The rock-carved city was selected along with six other sites by around 100 million people in a worldwide Internet and telephone vote, the results of which were announced in a televised ceremony in Portugal early Sunday.
Following the announcement, thousands of Jordanians cheered, waved flags, set off fire works and broke into traditional dance in Amman and Petra.
"It is really a source of pride that Petra was able to compete and win over renowned sites in countries with large populations such as Russia and India, while the Kingdom's population is some 5.5 million," Ali Falahat, a cab driver from Wadi Musa told The Jordan Times.
Tourists visiting the old town shared with their hosts the happy news. "I never had a doubt that Petra would win," said a Mexican tourist who identified himself as Carlos. "It deserves to win for sure. I have wandered in so many places around the world and I have never seen a city with such charm like Petra," he said immediately after the results were announced.
"Since I was a little boy, I dreamed of visiting the beautiful city that I had seen in Indiana Jones movies. I voted for Petra and I was sure it would win," Carlos said.
Amir Jamal, a fresh college graduate who said he kept voting to Petra, told The Jordan Times that he expected the number of visitors to the country to increase and said: "That's a good news for all of us."
"I am so happy that our lovely precious Petra has won in the global competition. Being one of the seven wonders is something good for all the people in the country. This way people will know our country more and visit not only Petra but the entire Kingdom," said Jamal, a resident of Amman
Also yesterday, Minister of Culture Adel Tweisi announced plans to create an annual award named to be called "Petra, a Wonder of the World".
The award will cover all fields of art such as architecture, poetry, drama, translation and other arts.
Under the award, books written in various languages about Petra will be translated into Arabic and vice versa.
By Mohammad Ghazal and Hani Hazaimeh
© Jordan Times 2007
