Tourist boom damaging Petra, archaeologists seek protective measures

Petra, which is recently chosen as one of the world’s top architectural marvels, has been a popular tourist destination since long. Now, as it is picked up as one of the New Seven Wonders of the world, it is expected to draw large number of tourists. To attract the tourists and expand the tourist facilities, there is a building boom taking place in Petra and other archaeological sites in the region.
Petra is the ancient rose-red rock city known for its dramatic tombs and temple facade and has been the subject of increasing interest, tourism, and scrutiny since its “rediscovery” in 1812 by Johann Burckhardt.
Archaeologists say that the tourist boom would certainly endanger the site. To safeguard Petra, the archaeologists are planning to start the Petra Action Plan. It is anticipated that the plan will get green light for a bylaw mandating a strategy to safeguard it within this month or by August.
The firm budget figures for the action plan is not provided yet but it is said that about 1 million Jordanian dinars (US$1,411,369) will be required yearly so that the plan runs properly. Hope the archaeologists that seek to safeguard this architectural marvel succeed in their efforts.
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Source: Yahoo!
Tags: Petra, New Seven Wonders of The World, Petra Action Plan, Travel