Published On 7 May 20267 May 2026Ukrainian tourist Ruslana Novak and her friend had Jordan’s ancient city of Petra largely to themselves as they stood before its vast facade carved into pink sandstone.Since the United States and Israel’s war on Iran began in late February, the famed Rose City has been largely deserted, its usual crowds of foreign tourists all but gone.“Of course, we heard about the war … It is not a problem because I am from Ukraine, and we know about war,” Novak, an insurance agent, told the AFP news agency.“This country is surrounded by countries that have war, but Jordan is … very calm,” she said, describing it as safe and beautiful.At the site’s entrance, souvenir seller Khalid al-Saidat and his colleagues lingered in front of their stalls, cigarettes hanging from their lips. The donkeys and horses that usually transport tourists through the valley also stood idle.The scene, he said, reflected “the collapse of tourism” in Jordan.“The war in Gaza had led to an 80 to 90 percent drop in tourism”, while the Iran conflict had reduced the number of foreign visitors to “almost zero”.“We open every day without knowing whether we’ll earn enough to live on,” he added.Tourism accounts for 14 percent of Jordan’s gross domestic product, according to official figures, with 60,000 people directly employed in the sector and another 300,000 dependent on it. Last year, more than seven …
