His Majesty King Abdullah visited the Wadi Rum visitor centre on Monday, as part of his tour of the southern region, where he was briefed on Wadi Rum’s master plan and met with members of the local community who work in tourism.

During the visit, King Abdullah was briefed by Aqaba Special Economic Zone Authority Chief Commissioner Nayef Bakhit on the plans and programmes being implemented to capitalise on the competitive tourism advantages in the area, develop the film industry, and enhance ecotourism.

His Majesty stressed the importance of cooperation among all stakeholders to implement the Wadi Rum master plan and to develop filmmaking, noting the need to enhance tourism, which will require facilitating investment procedures and developing services.

The King also visited a number of souvenir shops in the visitor centre, offering merchandise handcrafted by the area's residents, and toured the centre’s facilities.

His Majesty met with local community members who work in tourism and listened to their suggestions on developing tourism in Wadi Rum, as well as the challenges they face and means to mitigate them.

The number of Wadi Rum visitors stood at 505,000 last year, marking an increase from 331,000 in 2018.

Royal Hashemite Court Chief Yousef Issawi, Adviser to His Majesty for Communication and Coordination Bisher Khasawneh, Adviser to His Majesty for Policies and Media Kemal Al Nasser, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Maj. Gen. Yousef Hneiti, and Tourism Minister Majd Shweikeh accompanied the King on the visit.