Fares Braizat, Chairman of the Board of Commissioners of the Petra Development and Tourism Region Authority, described the tourism situation in Petra as "very bad," noting that more than 32 hotels in the city—with over 2,000 rooms—are currently closed. In an interview with Sawt Al Mamlaka on Monday evening, Braizat added that all of the popular hotels, those with more than 200 rooms, remain shut. He revealed that nearly 700 employees have been laid off from Petra hotels due to the sharp decline in visitor numbers, emphasizing that the majority of the city’s residents rely on tourism as their primary source of income. Braizat also confirmed that a lack of funding has led to the suspension of most capital projects in the Petra region’s current budget. He attributed the significant drop in incoming tourism to the war in Gaza, highlighting that 87% of Petra’s visitors in 2023 were foreigners. However, he cautioned that marketing efforts in Europe and other regions will likely be ineffective amid ongoing regional tensions. (ICE AMMAN)

Fonte notizia: Stampa Locale