WADI RUM — Wadi Rum has welcomed an international event combining hot-air balloon skydiving and aerial sports, including paramotoring, bringing together 16 professional participants from several European countries.
Running from October 1 to 10, 2026, the event is being held under the patronage of the Aqaba Special Economic Zone Authority (ASEZA) and aims to highlight Wadi Rum as a destination for adventure, desert and aerial tourism.
The event is organised by ASEZA and Balloons Over Rum, in cooperation with European clubs specialising in aerial sports and skydiving. Participants include professional skydivers, paramotor pilots, photographers, and technical and logistical teams.
The programme features hot-air balloon skydiving and paramotoring flights over Wadi Rum’s dramatic desert landscape. Professional photography and video production are also part of the event, showcasing the area’s distinctive geological formations, sandstone mountains and expansive desert scenery.
As part of the programme, participants are visiting Aqaba to experience its tourism attractions, highlighting the potential to connect the tourism offerings of Aqaba and Wadi Rum and encourage visitors to explore both destinations.
Thabet Nabulsi, Commissioner for Tourism and Youth at ASEZA, said Wadi Rum was selected because of its exceptional natural and geological characteristics.
He said hosting international aerial sports events provides an opportunity to strengthen Wadi Rum’s position as a global destination for desert adventure and aerial tourism, while diversifying Jordan’s tourism products and attracting new categories of visitors.
Nabulsi added that the initiative supports efforts to expand hot-air balloon activities in Wadi Rum and develop the area into a hub for balloon tourism. The longer-term goal is to establish an annual event capable of attracting investment and generating additional economic opportunities for the local community.
Fayez Khleifat, executive director of Balloons Over Rum, said the event demonstrates the potential for cooperation between the public and private sectors in promoting Jordan as a destination for ballooning and aerial adventure tourism.
He noted that the event is also expected to benefit the local community by creating more than 70 direct jobs for local residents.
Khleifat also highlighted growing domestic interest in aerial sports, noting that some Jordanians have previously travelled abroad to take part in similar activities.
Preparations are already underway for an international hot-air balloon festival planned for summer 2027, in cooperation with ASEZA.
The current event is supported by the Civil Aviation Regulatory Commission (CARC), the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities, the Jordan Tourism Board, and the Royal Film Commission–Jordan.