It was interesting to see different prices for different people posted for all to see throughout Jordan. All of the national parks I visited had prices for both foreigners and for locals. For instance, for Petra, foreigners were asked to pay 50 Jordanian Dinars (JD) for a one-day visit or 90JD if one's visit would be the only visit in Jordan without an overnight stay in Wadi Musa--I was told that the 90JD rate was set up to discourage Israelis or other Western tourists from crossing the border for just a day's visit. As far as Jordanians go, they were asked to pay only 1JD every time they entered Petra.
At the Dead Sea tourist beach that I went to and wrote about, they charged me nearly three times more, 15JD, while my Jordanian counterparts were asked to pay 4JD. Even all the way south in Aqaba, the beach parking asked that foreigners pay 4JD while the locals paid a single JD.
Some of the travelers that I ran into along the way did not agree with this price difference and thought it was discriminating to pay more for the same product or service. They would often say that a policy of that sort would never fly in a Western country; everyone pays the same price no matter who you are or where you come from. Actually, when I thought about it, even Morocco didn't have different price schemes for foreigners (at least not posted officially).
I had mixed feelings about the issue. On the one hand, I can see why a government would seek to exploit something that is so unique and so in demand to generate revenue for the government. The question then is do the people benefit from the extra revenue or is it eaten up in government bureaucracy? A number of Jordanians would argue that it is probably the latter.
Also, a higher sticker price can stem the flow of tourists thereby reducing the environmental impact of tourist traffic and keeping the country's fragile historical treasures intact. That does not seems not to be the case though for Petra. In fact, just last year a Jordan Times article reported a 42% increase in tourist traffic at Petra National Park during the first six months of 2010 in comparison to the same time period in 2009. The Art Newspaper worries that too much traffic may endanger some of the most remarkable sites in Petra like, for instance, the recently restored and conserved one-of-a-kind Dionysiac wall painting found in the Siq of Little Petra.
Another Jordan Times article goes on to say that the Petra Development and Tourism Region Authority (PDTRA) plans to use some of the funds to rehabilitate sites and upgrade services to enrich visitor experience, and that the new price scheme was setup with those needs in mind as well as the needs of the kingdom. In essence, there seems to be little effort to cap numbers, and when things are going this well, I can't see the authorities doing much to contain the flow even if it's for environmental concerns.
Regarding the locals, I think it's wise that the Jordanian government mandate a reduced price for its citizens because the current foreigner price would put many sites out of reach for many. Reducing the price also encourages domestic consumption of tourism-related services thereby boosting the local economy. Not only is it good for the economy, I think it's wise that a country's citizenry be well traveled and know their country and their countrymen and women.
For the meantime though, if you're a foreigner traveling in this foreign land, get ready to pay up. But take it from me, floating on the Dead Sea is an experience like no other and walking through the Red-Rose City is once again something for which there is no equal. Did it hurt to pay? Yes! Was it worth it? Totally!
At the Dead Sea tourist beach that I went to and wrote about, they charged me nearly three times more, 15JD, while my Jordanian counterparts were asked to pay 4JD. Even all the way south in Aqaba, the beach parking asked that foreigners pay 4JD while the locals paid a single JD.
Some of the travelers that I ran into along the way did not agree with this price difference and thought it was discriminating to pay more for the same product or service. They would often say that a policy of that sort would never fly in a Western country; everyone pays the same price no matter who you are or where you come from. Actually, when I thought about it, even Morocco didn't have different price schemes for foreigners (at least not posted officially).
I had mixed feelings about the issue. On the one hand, I can see why a government would seek to exploit something that is so unique and so in demand to generate revenue for the government. The question then is do the people benefit from the extra revenue or is it eaten up in government bureaucracy? A number of Jordanians would argue that it is probably the latter.
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| Dionysiac painting in Little Petra |
Regarding the locals, I think it's wise that the Jordanian government mandate a reduced price for its citizens because the current foreigner price would put many sites out of reach for many. Reducing the price also encourages domestic consumption of tourism-related services thereby boosting the local economy. Not only is it good for the economy, I think it's wise that a country's citizenry be well traveled and know their country and their countrymen and women.
For the meantime though, if you're a foreigner traveling in this foreign land, get ready to pay up. But take it from me, floating on the Dead Sea is an experience like no other and walking through the Red-Rose City is once again something for which there is no equal. Did it hurt to pay? Yes! Was it worth it? Totally!
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