Wadi Rum hosts an international hot air balloon free fall and air sports event
Amman4 min read
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Under the patronage of the Aqaba Special Economic Zone Authority and in the presence of the Commissioner for Tourism and Youth, Dr. Thabet Hassan Al-Nabulsi
Hot air balloon freefall skydiving and air sports, including paramotoring, were launched, running from October 1 to October 10, 2026, with the participation of a number of professional skydivers, paramotor pilots, photographers, and technical and logistical support teams coming from several European countries. This event is considered the first of its kind in the Wadi Rum region
The event is organized by the Aqaba Special Economic Zone Authority in cooperation with Balloons Over Rum, and in collaboration with a number of specialized European clubs in air sports and skydiving.
The number of participants coming from outside the Kingdom is about 16 participants, including professional skydivers, paramotor pilots, photographers, and specialized teams, in a step aimed at enhancing the presence of Jordan and Wadi Rum on the global map of sports tourism, adventure tourism, and air sports.
The event includes carrying out hot air balloon free fall operations in the skies of Wadi Rum starting from sunrise on Friday, October 2, 2026, in accordance with approved operational plans, procedures, and regulatory approvals, alongside practicing the paramotor sport and photo and video documentation of the event.
Al-Nabulsi stated that the location for this aerial event was chosen given the unique features enjoyed by Aqaba and Wadi Rum, appreciating the participation of the specialized European teams and their role in enhancing the international presence of the region and introducing the diversity of its tourism products.
Al-Nabulsi added that hosting such qualitative events represents an opportunity to consolidate Wadi Rum's position as a global destination for desert tourism, adventures, and air sports, and contributes to diversifying the tourism product and attracting new segments of tourists and adventure lovers, alongside supporting the promotional efforts for Aqaba and Jordan at the international level.
He pointed out that the event comes within the directions aimed at increasing the number of operating balloons in the Wadi Rum region and making it a global destination for hot air balloon tourism, and enhancing its position as a major destination for aerial tourism, which contributes to diversifying the tourism experiences offered to visitors, raising the level of tourism competitiveness of the region, and creating new opportunities for investment in tourism activities associated with adventures and air sports.
Through this event, the organizing bodies seek to present a new model for tourism and sports events in the Kingdom, combining adventure, nature, air sports, photography, media, and tourism promotion, benefiting from the unique nature and distinctive geological formations that Wadi Rum enjoys.
The Aqaba Special Economic Zone Authority extends its sincere thanks and appreciation to national bodies, such as the Civil Aviation Regulatory Commission, the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities, the Jordan Tourism Board, and the Royal Film Commission, within the framework of efforts aimed at supporting tourism, sports, and adventure events in the Rum region
On the sidelines of the event, the program includes a visit to the city of Aqaba, aimed at introducing its diverse tourism components, exploring opportunities to develop the tourism product, and enhancing integration between tourism in Aqaba and Wadi Rum, which contributes to providing integrated tourism experiences for visitors.
The Aqaba Special Economic Zone Authority also looks forward to this event forming the nucleus of a similar annual tourism and sports event in Wadi Rum, which enhances the sustainability of tourism and sports activities in the region, consolidates its presence on the global tourism map, and supports efforts to promote Jordan as a leading destination for adventure tourism and air sports. Engineer Fayez Al-Khleifat, Executive Director of Balloons Over Rum, added that this event comes as a culmination of the joint efforts between the public and private sectors to put Jordan on the global map in balloon tourism and aerial adventures. He also disclosed the start of planning to hold a global balloon festival in cooperation with the Aqaba Region Authority during the coming summer of 2027 and expressed his pride that this project employs more than 70 people from the local community in direct jobs.
Al-Khleifat also added that he was surprised by the volume of demand among Jordanians for such events, which they used to travel to neighboring countries to participate in and interact with.
