Honeymooner 1 millionth visitor to Petra

The rose-red city of Petra has been lit up with festivities as hundreds of tourists and locals packed the historical site to celebrate the arrival of its millionth visitor.

Alison Carey, from California in the US, was the millionth visitor of 2019. She is visiting the Kingdom with her husband Andrew for their honeymoon. 

“It’s been a dream of mine since I was a child to come to Petra. When I met my husband he felt the same,” Carey said. 

Her husband agreed, adding that the experience was “a dream come true”.

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The millionth visitor received gifts, including a certificate, a golden pass to Petra for life and a seven-day trip to Jordan for two. 

The couple was later dressed in traditional clothes.

Visitors came from all across the world to see the ancient Unesco heritage site. 

Ageth Wechgelaer from Holland told The Jordan Times that she first visited Petra and the Kingdom in 1997. She has visited the Kingdom annually as a tour leader since 2008. 

“I love Jordan as a country and Petra is so spectacular, still, after so many years,” she said. 

For George and Irena Sifilakis who are visiting from Greece, the Kingdom “is a country with a great history, very nice people and great food. It is also part of Hellenic history,” which is why they chose to visit, they told The Jordan Times.

The celebrations also include a concert featuring Jordanian music, food and an artist writing tourists names in Nabatean. 

– The Jordan Times