AMMAN, April 24 (Xinhuanet) -- Petra, one of Jordan's leading tourist attractions, has drawn around 100,000 visitors and earned 1.41 million US dollars during the first quarter of this year, a Jordanian tourism official said on Sunday.

    Visitors to the ancient city of Petra in the first quarter this year accounted for around 35 percent of total arrivals in 2004, said Malek Amarat, head of the Tourism Department in Petra.

    "There's been a tangible increase in tourists since the beginning of this year, particularly from countries such as Spain, France and Germany," he added.

    Aside from regular day tours, the city has also become a popular destination for tourists wishing to visit "Petra by Night", said Amarat, describing the program as being particularly popular among European visitors.

    The "Petra by Night" tour, which begins at the Petra Visitor's Center at around 8:30 p.m. (1630 GMT), takes visitors on a tour along a candle-lit path leading to the center of the historic city. Enditem