AMMAN — The number of visitors to the ancient city of Petra reached 281,123 between January and July, including 109,350 Jordanians and 171,773 foreign tourists.

 

The figures showed a 3.7 per cent decline compared with the same period in 2025, which saw 291,912 visitors, comprising 79,632 Jordanians and 212,280 foreign tourists, according to official figures obtained by Al Mamlaka TV.

 

The Jordan Hotels Association said that Petra recorded the lowest hotel occupancy rates, standing at around 13 per cent for five-star hotels, 5 per cent for four-star hotels, and 2 per cent for three-star hotels.

 

The association attributed the low rates to Petra's heavy reliance on European and foreign tourism, noting that Petra houses around 3,400 hotel rooms across 83 licensed hotels.

 

Preliminary data from the Central Bank of Jordan (CBJ) indicated that tourism revenue grew by 24.9 per cent in July 2026 to reach $926.2 million. The drop during the first seven months of 2026 narrowed to 0.2 per cent, bringing total tourism revenue to $4.418 billion.

 

CBJ figures revealed a decline in tourism receipts during the January-July period of 2026 from expatriate Jordanians by 8.9 per cent, US nationals by 20.6 per cent, European nationalities by 24.7 per cent, and other nationalities by 39.7 per cent.

 

Tourism revenue from Arab visitors grew by 12.8 per cent, while revenues from Asian nationalities increased by 3.9 per cent.