“Jordan doesn’t wish to be a volume-driven attraction like Egypt,” says Sean Cullen, director of sales and marketing at Mövenpick Resort Petra, a luxury resort located near the entrance of Petra. “It’s an exclusive destination. The current visitor profile is over 40, financially sound, widely traveled, interested in history and culture, and seeking out a once-in-a-lifetime experience.”
Multiple high-end multi-national hotel and transportation chains have been increasing their development in Jordan, and the government has supported both luxury and ecotourism expansion via financing and legislation:
More than $30 million has been spent on the two-stage Jordan Tourism Development Project, which is designed to improve the country’s competitiveness as an international tourism destination by promoting private-sector investment, enhancing ecotourism, and upgrading and preserving key archaeological sites like Petra and the Amman Citadel. Another $20 million has been pumped into Aqaba, thanks to the creation of the Aqaba Special Economic Zone. This low tax, duty-free and multi-sector development area on the Red Sea has encouraged investors to build high-end shopping, lavish business hubs, golf courses and resorts, including the 667-acre master planned marina community designed by American firm AECOM.
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