When international visitors disappear, nearly every segment of the local economy suffers.

By Motti Verses

(Courtesy of The Jerusalem Post were article first appeared)

There are places people want to see, and there are places people dream of seeing. Petra belongs firmly in the second category.

For decades, Jordan’s ancient Nabataean city has appeared on countless lists of destinations every traveler should visit at least once in a lifetime. I have been fortunate to visit Petra several times, and each visit left me equally mesmerized. Hidden beyond dramatic sandstone canyons, surrounded by rose-red cliffs and crowned by monuments carved directly into the rock, Petra offers an experience unlike almost anywhere else on Earth. A rare combination of history, mystery, and natural beauty that has made it one of the world’s most photographed and admired destinations.

Only three years ago, Petra appeared to be enjoying its golden age. In 2023, the UNESCO World Heritage Site welcomed a record-breaking 1.17 million visitors, nearly one million of them international tourists. During my last visit that year, over the Passover holiday, prosperity was visible everywhere. Hotels were full, restaurants were bustling, and the local economy was thriving on an unprecedented scale.

Today, however, behind the postcard-perfect image of one of the world’s most celebrated heritage attractions lies one of the Middle East’s most dramatic tourism crises.

Following the regional conflict and the war with Iran, conversations among hotel managers, business owners and government officials have shifted from growth and expansion to survival. The region’s instability triggered a wave of cancellations, empty hotel rooms, lost jobs and growing uncertainty about the future. Visitor numbers have reportedly fallen by more than 60 percent, transforming one of the Middle East’s greatest tourism success stories into a destination fighting for its economic life.

Petra, one of the New Seven Wonders of the World, is far more than an archaeological treasure. Over the years, an entire tourism ecosystem has grown around it – hotels, restaurants, souvenir shops, desert camps, transportation companies and thousands of jobs that depend almost entirely on foreign visitors.

Then the crisis arrived.

According to Adnan Al-Sawaeir, Chairman of the Petra Development and Tourism Region Authority, March 2026 ended with an almost complete collapse of tourism bookings to the city. Reports later indicated that approximately 60 percent of April reservations and 45 percent of May reservations were canceled. By April, nearly 80 percent of hotel rooms in the region remained unsold, devastating an industry that had entered the year with high expectations.

The statistic that shocked Jordan emerged during last month emergency session of the Jordan Economic Forum in Amman titled “Petra: A Roadmap for Resilience and Adaptation.” During the discussion, Al-Sawaeir revealed that hotel occupancy during the March Eid al-Fitr holiday stood at only about 6 percent. He described Petra as “the tourist destination most affected in Jordan.”

For a city whose economy lives and breathes tourism, the figure was almost unimaginable.

Abdullah Husanat, President of the Petra Hotels Association, summarized the situation in a sentence that quickly became symbolic of the crisis:

 “All investments in Petra are currently in intensive care.”

Behind that statement lies a stark reality. According to figures presented at the forum, roughly 83 percent of foreign tourism to the region arrives specifically because of Petra. When international visitors disappear, nearly every segment of the local economy suffers.

The region offers thousands of hotel rooms despite being primarily a one-night destination for many travelers. Among the most prominent properties is the 183-room Mövenpick Resort Petra, widely considered one of the area’s flagship hotels. Other internationally branded properties include Mercure, Marriott and Crowne Plaza, alongside dozens of regional and locally owned hotels.

Hotels built to accommodate hundreds of guests each day suddenly found themselves with silent corridors, nearly empty dining rooms and staff waiting for visitors who never arrived. Industry sources report that approximately 32 hotels have closed while around 1,000 tourism workers have lost their jobs.

The irony is that Petra itself has not become dangerous.

International tourism organizations continue to regard the destination as relatively safe, with dedicated tourist police, established visitor infrastructure and well-managed attractions. The problem is perception. For many travelers in Europe, North America and Asia, Jordan has become part of a broader regional narrative associated with instability. When the entire region is perceived as unsafe, organized tour groups cancel, airlines adjust schedules and independent travelers simply choose alternative destinations.

Jordanian officials increasingly recognize that waiting for international tourists to return cannot be the sole strategy. During recent economic discussions in Amman, two words repeatedly surfaced: resilience and adaptation.

The goal is to create a more sustainable model in which Petra is less dependent on international tourism alone. Proposed solutions include strengthening domestic tourism, attracting new investment, developing alternative sources of income and creating stronger tourism links between Petra, Wadi Rum, Aqaba and the Dead Sea.

Yet everyone involved in the industry understands that the ultimate solution cannot be found in a new marketing campaign or the opening of another hotel.

The real challenge is restoring confidence.

Petra has survived earthquakes, the collapse of empires and centuries of abandonment. Its magnificent rose-colored monuments still stand proudly among the desert cliffs, just as they have for centuries.

The great question of 2026 is not whether Petra will survive. It is how long it will take for the world to feel confident enough to return and walk once again through the red sandstone canyons of one of the most breathtaking and inspiring destinations on the planet.

*Feature photo: Pulsating Petra.  Rife with tourist from all over the world, the writer in Petra a few years ago. (Photo: Liat Valter)

About the writer:

The author is a seasoned hotel expert, traveler, writer, and videographer, and formerly served as Head of Public Relations for Hilton Hotels & Resorts in Israel. Today, as a travel writer and hospitality trends analyst, his insights and experiences are regularly featured in leading Israeli media outlets.

While the mission of Lay of the Land (LotL) is to provide a wide and diverse perspective of affairs in Israel, the Middle East and the Jewish world, the opinions, beliefs and viewpoints expressed by its various writers are not necessarily ones of the owners and management of LOTL but of the writers themselves.  LotL endeavours to the best of its ability to credit the use of all known photographs to the photographer and/or owner of such photographs (0&EO).