LONDON: A total of 1,400 new hotel rooms will be built in Petra by local investors as a part of an investment drive to boost the tourism industry, a top official said on Sunday.

Fares Braizat, chief commissioner of the Petra Development and Tourism Region Authority, said local investors are committed to the project despite challenging conditions.

He expressed confidence that the country’s tourism industry would recover and return to normal, the Jordan News Agency reported.

Braizat said the authority was intensifying efforts to promote Petra.

He made the comments during a tour of the Petra region by Jordan’s Tourism Minister Makram Al-Qaisi.

Al-Qaisi said the project would create more jobs and praised the collaboration between the public and private sectors to promote tourism.

The incentives introduced to support the industry include waiving rent for the authority’s tenants, and measures related to social security, income, and sales tax, he added.

During the minister’s visit, the Marriott Hotel group in Petra laid the cornerstone for a project to add 70 more rooms to its existing operations.