While Jordan’s most famous touristic attractions are undoubtedly its UNESCO World Heritage site, the ancient city of Petra, and its capital city, Amman, there is a lesser known spot a short distance away from Amman that will now become a strong contender.

Theban, a small town in the Madaba governorate, will become home to a 3,700-metre-long téléphérique, or cable car, the longest in the Middle East, as part of a larger touristic project in collaboration with a private investor from the area.

The project involves building a touristic complex that will include camps, chalets, and swimming pools. In addition, a factory producing medical supplies for kidney dialysis patients is to be opened by the end of 2019 in the municipality.

The project, especially the factory, is aimed at providing increased employment opportunities to residents of Theban.

A lot of efforts are being made in the tourism sector in the country, including most recently, a boost in medical tourism. According to the Medical Tourism Index 2017, this form of tourism alone attracts at least 250,000 patients to Jordan per year, generating 40 per cent of the country’s overall tourism revenues.

Pictured in the main image is the current longest cable car in the world, Tianmen Shan in China, which spans a distance of 7,455 meters.