By Khetam Malkawi

AMMAN – The tourism industry in Petra will organise a festival next month and provide discounted offers on hotel accommodations in an bid to attract more Jordanian and Arab visitors to the Nabataean city, an industry representative said on Wednesday.

Fawwaz Hasanat, head of Petra Hotel Association (PHA), said tourism in Petra has been negatively impacted by the current turmoil in some countries of the region.

“We rarely see tourists and hotel occupancy has not exceeded 10 per cent in the past five months,” he told The Jordan Times over the phone yesterday, adding that the PHA and Petra Development and Tourism Region Authority (PDTRA) are working to rescue the current tourism season.

Hasanat noted that the “Petra Festival to Encourage Local and Arab Tourism” is one of these steps and will be organised every Thursday starting July 7.

“The festival will include folklore and theatre performances, in addition to an exhibition of handmade souvenirs and we will distribute brochures and pamphlets about Petra and its history,” he explained.

In addition, the association has announced discounted hotel rates for Jordanians who visit the city as part of the “Jordan is Beautiful” campaign, which includes one-, two- and three-star hotels affiliated with the association, according to Hasanat.

The prices range from JD10 to JD15 for adults per night, and a 50 per cent discount for children aged between seven and 12 years, while those under the age of seven are free of charge.