Statistics by the Petra Visitors Center show that visitor numbers of the world wonder have gone up 157% in the first nine months of the year. Recently released figures show that 545,500 tourists visited the ancient rose city compared to 347,400 visitors during the same period in 2007.

Tourist flow has risen steadily since the beginning of this year, particularly among Americans and Europeans on package tours. More than 55,000 tourists have visited the site in September alone, compared to 35,550 during the same month in 2007.

Popular among foreign travelers, Petra has been attracting between 2,500 and 3,000 visitors every day. Tourist traffic flow has been growing steadily over the past two years since being named as one of the New Seven Wonders of the World.