Petra City has officially become a member of the Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC), said Faris Breizat, Chief Commissioner of the Petra Development and Tourism Region Authority (PDTRA).

He added that this step comes in response to global changes in new tourism patterns, as most travelers around the world search through search engines for sustainable tourist destinations that respect international standards in sustainability, are in line with the PDTRA's tourism strategic plan (2021-2025), and are in line with the economic modernization vision, one of whose main themes is "Jordan is a global tourist destination and a filmmaking hub."

For his part, Deputy Chairman of the Board of Commissioners and Commissioner of Petra Archeology park and Tourism, Hamza Al-Olayani, said that PDTRA found it necessary to start implementing sustainable tourism standards based on GSTC-approved methodologies, following an analysis of the region's situation by experts with support from the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA).

He emphasized that the PDTRA is committed to implementing international standards in multiple phases through cooperation and partnership with international and local organizations. This project applying international standards was funded by a grant from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) to begin the stages of training, qualification, awareness campaigns, and guidance for the various tourism sectors, as well as applying these standards to the government sector represented by the PDTRA and other relevant departments.