Along the main path of the Rose City, the Petra Development and Tourism Region Authority lit up the Visitors Center, passing through the Siq, the Treasury, the Amphitheater, and reaching the Court; this came in celebration of the seventeenth anniversary of Petra being chosen as one of the New Wonders of the World, and was accompanied by folklore shows and popular bands in the tourist street area and downtown Wadi Musa.
The celebration of the Rose City also included lighting selected landmarks such as the Treasury, the Amphitheatre and the Court directly from the inside and outside, a lighting show of the wonders of the world accompanying the city of Petra, and the formation of the number 7 in front of the Treasury. Television crews and international agencies filmed the show in addition to filming inside the city from the air and from high mountains.
The Petra Region Authority had invited the Minister of Tourismand Antiquities, Makram Al-Qaisi, and a number of ambassadors of foreign countries that are considered major markets for tourism to Jordan, in addition to the Director of the Seven Wonders of the World Organization, Jean-Paul de la Fontaine, to inform them of the region’s distinctive tourism assets and to convey the image to their countries.
In a press statement, the Chairman of the Board of Commissioners of the Petra Region, Dr. Fares Al-Brizat, confirmed that celebrating Petra as one of the new seven wonders of the world is something the city is accustomed to and comes within the authority’s interest in developing the city as a tourist destination and marketing it locally, regionally and internationally, by developing the tourism services aspect in the Petra region by establishing tourist paths and signboards and training the authority’s employees in order to provide the best services to visitors and protect the site.
Al-Brizat pointed out that the authority has a comprehensive plan to advance the region in all aspects, and that it is working with all partners to market Petra in the best possible way and alleviate the suffering of the tourism sector resulting from the decline in the number of tourists due to the war on Gaza.
For his part, Lafuente said that Petra represents a key partner in promoting global development and plays a vital role in enhancing tourism and cultural experiences worldwide, and that the celebration implemented by the authority will increase the marketing of the rose city worldwide in cooperation with the New Seven Wonders of the World Organization.
Petra was listed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1985, marking the beginning of its journey towards global status. In 2007, it was crowned one of the New Seven Wonders of the World, after competing with more than 21 global sites. It became the second wonder of the world, and due to its status and distinction with many unique landmarks, it has become the most prominent tourist destination for many celebrities and tourists. Today, it is Jordan’s first symbol and the most attractive place for tourists in the region and the region.
Since 2007, Petra has gone through varying stages of increase and decrease in the number of tourists, depending on the economic and political conditions that play an important role in activating the tourism sector . Since 2018, it has witnessed a significant increase in the number of tourists, and celebrated the one million visitors for the first time in 2019, but the number of tourists quickly decreased in 2020 due to the Corona pandemic, to return in 2023 to exceed one million visitors for the second time in its history, but the Israeli war on the Gaza Strip left the tourism sector in Petra suffering and the number of visitors decreased significantly.
