Could swell to 1 million visitors a year if a proposed project for ‘tourist city’ goes ahead
(JERUSALEM POST) — For centuries thousands of pilgrims a year have made the journey to Bethany Beyond The Jordan, a site on the east bank of the Jordan River which Christians believe to be the exact spot where Jesus was baptized.
This number could swell to one million visitors a year if a proposed phased six-year estimated $300 million project for a ‘tourist city’ adjacent to what is a designated UNESCO World Heritage site goes ahead.
Among those who gathered at the riverbank last week were Jordan’s King Abdullah and Lebanon’s Maronite Patriarch Bechara Boutros Al-Rai, who joined architects, museum curators and investors to hear about the proposal from its organizers.