3- More than 400,000 tourists have been to Petra, Jordan, this year, a 43 per cent increase compared to 2009, according to official figures released on Tuesday. The number of visitors in the first five months of this year were 413,000, an increase from the same period in 2009, when 288,000 tourists visited the ancient Nabataean city, said the figures released by Petra Development and Tourism Region Authority (PDTRA).
Revenues also soared during the five months ending May 2010, JD8.2 million compared to JD5.5 million in the same period last year, according to the PDTRA. Approximately 92,834 tourists visited the rose-red city last month, a 54 per cent increase from May 2009, when the figure stood at 83,250. Of the total visitors, 86,000 were foreigners, a 54 per cent increase compared to the same period the previous year, when 56,000 non-Jordanians visited the site.