Digital transformation for Petra tourism: overcoming challenges and seizing opportunities in southern Jordan

Petra, inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1985, attained the esteemed designation of one of the World’s New Seven Wonders in 2007. It is a quintessential emblem of Jordan and a paramount allure for tourists within the Kingdom. This study aims to scrutinize the foremost tourism motivation...

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Main Authors: Fesail Albahrat, Ibrahim Farhan, Mohd S. Mahafdah, Bashar Khawaldeh, Tareq Hidmi
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Taylor & Francis Group 2024-12-01
Series:Cogent Social Sciences
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/10.1080/23311886.2024.2426701
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author Fesail Albahrat
Ibrahim Farhan
Mohd S. Mahafdah
Bashar Khawaldeh
Tareq Hidmi
author_facet Fesail Albahrat
Ibrahim Farhan
Mohd S. Mahafdah
Bashar Khawaldeh
Tareq Hidmi
author_sort Fesail Albahrat
collection DOAJ
description Petra, inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1985, attained the esteemed designation of one of the World’s New Seven Wonders in 2007. It is a quintessential emblem of Jordan and a paramount allure for tourists within the Kingdom. This study aims to scrutinize the foremost tourism motivations among smart application-utilizing tourists, alongside discerning the challenges and impediments encountered by tourists employing digital platforms within Petra city. Utilizing a Digital Elevation Model, weather data, and electronic questionnaires, a random sample of 445 tourists participated in this study by completing an electronic questionnaire. The collected data was then analyzed using IBM SPSS software. Descriptive statistics were employed to investigate the economic and social characteristics of the study participants. Findings reveal that the under-40 age group had the most significant representation, with roughly 71.2% of participants in this category. Where the variable of place of residence, the capital city of Amman accounted for the most significant number of tourists, with a rate of ∼45.1%. Moreover, it was deduced that 88% of tourists utilize smart applications within the study area, primarily leveraging these tools to circumvent overcrowding, economize time and expenses, and navigate effortlessly between locales. The investigation delineated Booking.com as the preeminent application, capturing 23.5% of tourist preference. The study highlights challenges tourists face using smart applications in Petra, including ineffective digital resource utilization and high tourism product prices. To address these issues, it recommends improving internet infrastructure and offering free internet access at all tourist sites.
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spelling doaj-art-1472a6ff19ed4256a31a69cf9ace70cf2025-08-20T03:44:14ZengTaylor & Francis GroupCogent Social Sciences2331-18862024-12-0110110.1080/23311886.2024.2426701Digital transformation for Petra tourism: overcoming challenges and seizing opportunities in southern JordanFesail Albahrat0Ibrahim Farhan1Mohd S. Mahafdah2Bashar Khawaldeh3Tareq Hidmi4Geography of tourism-modern tourism, School of Medicine, Department of Basic Medical Sciences, Ibn Sina University for Medical Sciences, Amman, JordanSoil, GIS and remote sensing applications, School of Arts, Department of Geography, The University of Jordan, Amman, JordanClimate Change, Sustainable Agriculture and Food Security (CCSAFS), Faculty of Agriculture, Jerash University, Jerash, JordanPopulation Geography, Human Geography, School of Arts, Department of Geography, The University of Jordan, Amman, JordanPlant Protection, Integrated Pest Management, Faculty of Agriculture, Jerash University, Jerash, JordanPetra, inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1985, attained the esteemed designation of one of the World’s New Seven Wonders in 2007. It is a quintessential emblem of Jordan and a paramount allure for tourists within the Kingdom. This study aims to scrutinize the foremost tourism motivations among smart application-utilizing tourists, alongside discerning the challenges and impediments encountered by tourists employing digital platforms within Petra city. Utilizing a Digital Elevation Model, weather data, and electronic questionnaires, a random sample of 445 tourists participated in this study by completing an electronic questionnaire. The collected data was then analyzed using IBM SPSS software. Descriptive statistics were employed to investigate the economic and social characteristics of the study participants. Findings reveal that the under-40 age group had the most significant representation, with roughly 71.2% of participants in this category. Where the variable of place of residence, the capital city of Amman accounted for the most significant number of tourists, with a rate of ∼45.1%. Moreover, it was deduced that 88% of tourists utilize smart applications within the study area, primarily leveraging these tools to circumvent overcrowding, economize time and expenses, and navigate effortlessly between locales. The investigation delineated Booking.com as the preeminent application, capturing 23.5% of tourist preference. The study highlights challenges tourists face using smart applications in Petra, including ineffective digital resource utilization and high tourism product prices. To address these issues, it recommends improving internet infrastructure and offering free internet access at all tourist sites.https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/10.1080/23311886.2024.2426701Digital tourismtouriststourism motivationsBooking.comPetra cityGIS, Remote Sensing, and Cartography
spellingShingle Fesail Albahrat
Ibrahim Farhan
Mohd S. Mahafdah
Bashar Khawaldeh
Tareq Hidmi
Digital transformation for Petra tourism: overcoming challenges and seizing opportunities in southern Jordan
Cogent Social Sciences
Digital tourism
tourists
tourism motivations
Booking.com
Petra city
GIS, Remote Sensing, and Cartography
title Digital transformation for Petra tourism: overcoming challenges and seizing opportunities in southern Jordan
title_full Digital transformation for Petra tourism: overcoming challenges and seizing opportunities in southern Jordan
title_fullStr Digital transformation for Petra tourism: overcoming challenges and seizing opportunities in southern Jordan
title_full_unstemmed Digital transformation for Petra tourism: overcoming challenges and seizing opportunities in southern Jordan
title_short Digital transformation for Petra tourism: overcoming challenges and seizing opportunities in southern Jordan
title_sort digital transformation for petra tourism overcoming challenges and seizing opportunities in southern jordan
topic Digital tourism
tourists
tourism motivations
Booking.com
Petra city
GIS, Remote Sensing, and Cartography
url https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/10.1080/23311886.2024.2426701
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