Visitors to Petra rise by 50 per cent

April 5- Visitors to the

, Jordan, rose by 50 per cent in the first quarter of 2010, according to official figures from Petra Development and Tourism Region Authority (PDTRA). Some 209,000 visited the city in the first three months of 2010 up from 139,000 in the same period 2009.

The number of foreign visitors to the ancient city jumped by 53 per cent in the first quarter of this year compared to the same period of last year while the number of Jordanians rose by 23 per cent. PDTRA Chief Commissioner Nasser Shraideh said revenues from entrance fees also rose by 52 per cent to reach JD4.1 million compared to JD2.7 million in the same period of last year.