Jordan holidays attract 'record' UK tourists

Tourism officials in Jordan have announced a record number of visitors from the UK visited the country in 2012.

Growth of 3.5% resulted in a record 69,845 visitors to Jordan from the UK throughout the year, the Jordan Tourist Board said.

October was again the most popular month for visitors from the UK, although January saw the highest year-on-year increase with a 17.9% rise.

A couple of major anniversaries occurring in 2012 perhaps played their part in driving up the popularity of holidays in Jordan.

The 200th anniversary of the rediscovery of the ancient city of Petra was marked last year, as was the 50th anniversary of the release of the film Lawrence Of Arabia, which was predominantly shot in Jordan's Wadi Rum.

Stephen Hurp, Jordan Tourism Board country manager for UK & Ireland, said there has now been year-on-year growth in every year since 2009 and he put that down to "the stability of Jordan as a destination as well as the resilience of the UK travelling public".

He expressed the hope Jordan holidays will continue to be an attractive prospect for visitors from the UK in 2013 thanks to the "ancient sites, rich tapestry of history and epic landscapes".