Palestinian tourism 'dies' with Israel

Not only are hotels across Israel deserted , tourist spots in Palestine are also deserted.

In early October, the main square and streets around the Church of the Nativity in the Palestinian city of Bethelehem were bustling with tourists. But the scene quickly became deserted after Hamas' attack on Israel on October 7.

"Business has been at a standstill since the war started. The roads are cut off, no one is coming," said Essa Abu Dawoud, a tour guide in Palestine.

Palestinian tourism dies with Israel — ***The area outside the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem on October 11 was empty of tourists.*** Photo: Reuters

Across Israel and Palestine, hotels are empty. Six local tour operators have canceled all tours to Jerusalem and Tel Aviv as the conflict escalates. Two others will not resume tours until next year. Many international tour operators are rescheduling tours to neighboring Jordan and Egypt.

Cruise ships scheduled to dock in Israel have been diverted. Major airlines around the world have suspended flights to and from the country. Governments are scrambling to repatriate their citizens.

InterContinental said its Six Senses Shaharut and Hotel Indigo Tel Aviv - Diamond properties have closed due to lack of occupancy. Many guests who had booked reservations have canceled or postponed their stay until later in the year. Israel's leading hotel chain, Isrotel, is also facing the closure of some of its properties.

The war-induced exodus of international visitors has dealt a heavy blow to Israel's lucrative tourism industry, which accounts for 2.8% of GDP and 3.5% of employment. Israel has a population of more than 9 million.

The coming months are set to be the busiest time of the year for pilgrims from around the world, especially the US and Europe. But this year things could be different.

“We went through the Covid-19 crisis and are still recovering, waiting for customers to come back,” said Khader Hussein, 30, a souvenir seller in Bethlehem, the birthplace of Jesus. “We depend on tourism to survive but now tourism is dead,” he added.

Drawn by the historic sites of Jerusalem and Bethlehem and the white-sand beaches of Tel Aviv, about 3 million tourists flocked to Israel in the first nine months of this year, according to Israel’s Central Bureau of Statistics. That’s nearly back to pre-pandemic levels. About 90,000 tourists were in Israel and the Palestinian territories the week Hamas attacked Israel.

Elias al-Arja, head of the Arab Hotel Association, said most hotels in the West Bank spent the past week helping tourists flee after the violence began. Elias said about 90% of hotels in the West Bank (which straddles both Israeli and Palestinian territories) were empty. Meanwhile, 50% of Israel’s 28,000 hotel rooms are being used to house families fleeing from the Gaza Strip, according to Yael Danieli, president of the Israel Hotel Association.

The Dan hotel chain said its properties in Jerusalem, Tel Aviv and Herzliya are being used to accommodate evacuees. Isrotel has similar hotels in the Red Sea region. Dan is offering 50% off room rates to locals.

“With no solution to the conflict in sight, it is unclear when foreign tourists will be able to return,” said tourism expert Joanna Plucinska, who lives in Brussels, Belgium.

According to vnexpress.net

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