ABSTRACT Petra’s archaeological ruins have been inscribed on the World Heritage List of the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) since 1985. They have also been listed among the 2006 ‘New Seven Wonders of the World,’ and have been included among the Smithsonian Magazine’s 2008 list of 28 Places to See Before You Die. Nationally, Petra has earned the national epithet ‘the oil of Jordan’ due to its contributions to the country’s gross domestic income (GDP). According to the National Tourism Strategy 2011-2015: ‘Tourism expenditure reached more than JD 2.423 billion which contributed 12.4% to the national GDP’. Petra’s contribution is indeed significant considering that its entry fees stand at 50 Jordanian Dinars per tourist per day (approximately US $70), and considering that it has attracted over 629,000 visitors in 2011 of which more than 508,500 were foreign tourists . When one considers that the runner-up, which is the near-intact Greco-Roman ruins of Jerash in the north of Jordan, received less than half the arrivals at Petra for the same year (241,900 tourists, of which 179,700 were foreign tourists), then Petra’s role as the primary tourist attraction of Jordan is firmly confirmed. But how do these international recognitions and national contributions to Jordan’s GDP manifest at the local level? What planning measures are the Jordanian authorities adopting to ensure the sustainability of Petra as the country’s primary attraction? And, most importantly, what lessons may we extrapolate from planning Jordan's primary attraction for the benefit of developing other destinations around Petra, such as Shobak, and beyond?
