The number of foreign visitors to the ancient city of Petra increased by 68% in February 2019, compared to the same period in 2018.

Chief Commissioner of Petra Development and Tourism Region Authority, Suleiman Farajat, said in a statement on Sunday that Petra received in February 49,268 tourists, of those 40,544 were foreigners and 8,724 were Jordanian and Arab visitors.

However last January, Petra recorded a higher number of visitors, receiving 74,413 tourists, of those 68,087 were foreigners and 6,326 were Jordanian and Arab visitors.

Farajat stressed that the efforts exerted, and the partnership between the private and public sectors and local communities contributed to increasing the number of visitors and putting Petra on the world tourism map.

He added that new routes are being constructed at the Petra Archaeological Park to enhance provided services and increase the city's capacity to welcome more tourists.

Farajat called on local investors to invest in the hotel sector noting that the Authority is reformulating its laws to overcome any obstacles facing investment.