Tourism in the Palestinian territories
Encyclopedia
Tourism in the Palestinian territories refers to tourism in the West Bank
and Gaza Strip
. The tourism industry declined 90% following the Second Intifada in 2000, though it had recovered, with 2.6 million tourists in 2009, 1.7 million from abroad. Palestinian Authority's Tourism minister is Khouloud Daibes
. Foreign tourism is no longer restricted to the West Bank
, due to the opening of the Rafah crossing located between Egypt and the Hamas
controlled Gaza Strip
.
The Palestinian Authority and Israeli tourism ministries work together on tourism in the Palestinian territories
in a Joint Committee. Israel administrates the movement of tourists into the West Bank.
, and the economy of the latter is particularly dependent on tourism. Over 80% of tourists visiting the Palestinian territories go to Bethlehem, mostly for brief visits; occupancy rates in hotels in Bethlehem were only 2.5% in 2005 because most visitors stay in Jerusalem. 60,000 Christian pilgrims visited the Church of the Nativity
during Christmas 2007, and around 1.3 million tourists visited Bethlehem in 2008. In 2007 there were over 300,000 guests at Palestinian hotels, half in East Jerusalem.
NGOs including Open Bethlehem and the Alternative Tourism Group
promote tourism to the West Bank.
Jews. A biblical tourist attraction in Alon, Genesis Land, is visited by Jews
, Christians and Muslims, who take part in building Bible-era tents, herding sheep and goats, and drawing water from a well. One of the zimmers is called Abraham's Tent.
Before the second intifada, Gaza could be reached by tourists by taking a private taxi via the Erez crossing point, or via a flight to Gaza International Airport. Gaza City had few attractions aside from the Palestine Square bazaar and the beach area, which had hotels, restaurants, and a fishing market. Israeli Arabs visited beaches in Gaza, and there were popular nightclubs.
In 2001, the Palestinian Ministry of Environmental Affairs said that the beaches in Gaza were too polluted with sewage for safe beach tourism and that beach-side construction has been haphazard and unplanned. The Palestinian National Authority identified the Jabalya/Beit Lahya, Gaza City, Nezarim/Wadi Gazi, and Rafah/Khan Yunis beach areas as having potential for the development of beach tourism in 2001. Following the Israeli disengagement from Gaza in August 2005 there were expectations that tourism in Gaza could be developed, and local people and visitors from the West Bank visited Deir al-Balah as a tourist destination and on honeymoon, but the lack of outside access to Gaza due to the Israeli-enforced blockade since Hamas took power in 2007 now rules out inward tourism. Hamas' vice police are also increasingly imposing strict rules on dress and behaviour at beaches. There are some upmarket hotels such as Al Deira, which opened in 2000, though luxuries like the soaps and shampoos are smuggled from Egypt due to the Israeli blockade. Guests other than journalists and diplomats are rare.
In 2010 Gaza experienced a building boom in the construction of for-profit recreational facilities, Some of the new amusement parks and restaurants are Hamas business ventures. Among the many new leisure facilities in Gaza are the Crazy Water Park
, the Al-Bustan resort (Gaza), and the Bisan City tourist village
. Among the many new restaurants are the Roots Club
, the Faisal Equestrian Club
and the new restaurant at the Gaza Museum of Archaeology
which also features a high-end boutique hotel.
. It closed in 2002 due to the second intifada.
West Bank
The West Bank ) of the Jordan River is the landlocked geographical eastern part of the Palestinian territories located in Western Asia. To the west, north, and south, the West Bank shares borders with the state of Israel. To the east, across the Jordan River, lies the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan...
and Gaza Strip
Gaza Strip
thumb|Gaza city skylineThe Gaza Strip lies on the Eastern coast of the Mediterranean Sea. The Strip borders Egypt on the southwest and Israel on the south, east and north. It is about long, and between 6 and 12 kilometres wide, with a total area of...
. The tourism industry declined 90% following the Second Intifada in 2000, though it had recovered, with 2.6 million tourists in 2009, 1.7 million from abroad. Palestinian Authority's Tourism minister is Khouloud Daibes
Khouloud Daibes
Dr. Khuloud Daibes is a Palestinian architect. She served as the Tourism Minister in the national unity government of the Palestinian National Authority and continues to serve under the current emergency government as both tourism minister and minister of women's affairs.Dr...
. Foreign tourism is no longer restricted to the West Bank
West Bank
The West Bank ) of the Jordan River is the landlocked geographical eastern part of the Palestinian territories located in Western Asia. To the west, north, and south, the West Bank shares borders with the state of Israel. To the east, across the Jordan River, lies the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan...
, due to the opening of the Rafah crossing located between Egypt and the Hamas
Hamas
Hamas is the Palestinian Sunni Islamic or Islamist political party that governs the Gaza Strip. Hamas also has a military wing, the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades...
controlled Gaza Strip
Gaza Strip
thumb|Gaza city skylineThe Gaza Strip lies on the Eastern coast of the Mediterranean Sea. The Strip borders Egypt on the southwest and Israel on the south, east and north. It is about long, and between 6 and 12 kilometres wide, with a total area of...
.
The Palestinian Authority and Israeli tourism ministries work together on tourism in the Palestinian territories
Palestinian territories
The Palestinian territories comprise the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. Since the Palestinian Declaration of Independence in 1988, the region is today recognized by three-quarters of the world's countries as the State of Palestine or simply Palestine, although this status is not recognized by the...
in a Joint Committee. Israel administrates the movement of tourists into the West Bank.
West Bank
The tourist industry in the West Bank collapsed after the 1967 Arab-Israeli War, but had recovered by the 1990s. Tourism focuses on historical and biblical sites in East Jerusalem and BethlehemBethlehem
Bethlehem is a Palestinian city in the central West Bank of the Jordan River, near Israel and approximately south of Jerusalem, with a population of about 30,000 people. It is the capital of the Bethlehem Governorate of the Palestinian National Authority and a hub of Palestinian culture and tourism...
, and the economy of the latter is particularly dependent on tourism. Over 80% of tourists visiting the Palestinian territories go to Bethlehem, mostly for brief visits; occupancy rates in hotels in Bethlehem were only 2.5% in 2005 because most visitors stay in Jerusalem. 60,000 Christian pilgrims visited the Church of the Nativity
Church of the Nativity
The Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem is one of the oldest continuously operating churches in the world. The structure is built over the cave that tradition marks as the birthplace of Jesus of Nazareth, and thus it is considered sacred by Christians...
during Christmas 2007, and around 1.3 million tourists visited Bethlehem in 2008. In 2007 there were over 300,000 guests at Palestinian hotels, half in East Jerusalem.
NGOs including Open Bethlehem and the Alternative Tourism Group
Alternative Tourism Group
Alternative Tourism Group and Study Center is a Palestinian NGO based in Beit Sahour . They specialize in tours and pilgrimages that include critical examinations of the history, culture, and politics of the Holy Land....
promote tourism to the West Bank.
Major sites
- BethlehemBethlehemBethlehem is a Palestinian city in the central West Bank of the Jordan River, near Israel and approximately south of Jerusalem, with a population of about 30,000 people. It is the capital of the Bethlehem Governorate of the Palestinian National Authority and a hub of Palestinian culture and tourism...
- Burial place of the matriarch RachelRachelRachel , as described in the Hebrew Bible, is a prophet and the favorite wife of Jacob, one of the three Biblical Patriarchs, and mother of Joseph and Benjamin. She was the daughter of Laban and the younger sister of Leah, Jacob's first wife...
and birthplace of King David and of JesusJesusJesus of Nazareth , commonly referred to as Jesus Christ or simply as Jesus or Christ, is the central figure of Christianity...
. Around 1.3 million tourists visited the city in 2008.- Church of the NativityChurch of the NativityThe Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem is one of the oldest continuously operating churches in the world. The structure is built over the cave that tradition marks as the birthplace of Jesus of Nazareth, and thus it is considered sacred by Christians...
- A church built over the cave that tradition marks as the birthplace of Jesus of Nazareth. It is a popular attraction sacred to both Christians and Muslims. - Shepherd's Field - Just outside of Beit SahourBeit SahourBeit Sahour is a Palestinian town east of Bethlehem under the administration of the Palestinian National Authority...
, the field is said to be were Jesus's birth was announced to a group of shepherds. - Manger SquareManger SquareManger Square is an important city square in the center of Bethlehem. It takes its name from the manger where Jesus was born which, according to Christian dogma, is in the Church of the Nativity, possibly the oldest existing church in the world, which surrounds the square. Also around Manger...
- A city square in the center of Bethlehem that takes its name from the manger where Jesus was born. - Solomon's PoolsSolomon's PoolsSolomon's Pools , are located immediately to the south of al-Khader and about 5 kilometres southwest of Bethlehem. The pools consist of three open cisterns, each pool with a 6 metre drop to the next, fed from an underground spring. With each pool being over 100 metres long, 65 metres wide and 10...
- A prominent site in the al-KhaderAl-KhaderAl-Khader is a Palestinian town in the Bethlehem Governorate in the south-central West Bank. It is located west of Bethlehem. According to the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics, the town had a population of 9,774 in 2007.-History:...
area, named after King Solomon. - Salesian CremisanCremisanThe Cremisan Monastery is a Salesian monastery in the West Bank, near Beit Jala. The monastery, located on a hill 850 metres above sea level, is five kilometres from Bethlehem and 12 kilometres from Jerusalem...
Monastery — A winery as well as a convent in the suburb of Beit JalaBeit JalaBeit Jala is an Arab Christian town in the Bethlehem Governorate of the West Bank. Beit Jala is located 10 km south of Jerusalem, on the western side of the Hebron road, opposite Bethlehem, at altitude...
.
- Church of the Nativity
- JerichoJerichoJericho ; is a city located near the Jordan River in the West Bank of the Palestinian territories. It is the capital of the Jericho Governorate and has a population of more than 20,000. Situated well below sea level on an east-west route north of the Dead Sea, Jericho is the lowest permanently...
- The Biblical city is believed to be one of the oldest in the world. With its proximity to the Dead SeaDead SeaThe Dead Sea , also called the Salt Sea, is a salt lake bordering Jordan to the east and Israel and the West Bank to the west. Its surface and shores are below sea level, the lowest elevation on the Earth's surface. The Dead Sea is deep, the deepest hypersaline lake in the world...
, Jericho is the most popular destination among Palestinian tourists. Tourism increased by nearly 42.3% in the first three quarters of 2008 as crossing between areas under PA control and Israel became less restricted. - HebronHebronHebron , is located in the southern West Bank, south of Jerusalem. Nestled in the Judean Mountains, it lies 930 meters above sea level. It is the largest city in the West Bank and home to around 165,000 Palestinians, and over 500 Jewish settlers concentrated in and around the old quarter...
-A holy city in Judaism and Islamic tradition, and the place where the Tomb of the Patriarchs and Matriarchs is located. According to the tradition, this is the burial place of the great patriarchs (AbrahamAbrahamAbraham , whose birth name was Abram, is the eponym of the Abrahamic religions, among which are Judaism, Christianity and Islam...
, IsaacIsaacIsaac as described in the Hebrew Bible, was the only son Abraham had with his wife Sarah, and was the father of Jacob and Esau. Isaac was one of the three patriarchs of the Israelites...
, and JacobJacobJacob "heel" or "leg-puller"), also later known as Israel , as described in the Hebrew Bible, the Talmud, the New Testament and the Qur'an was the third patriarch of the Hebrew people with whom God made a covenant, and ancestor of the tribes of Israel, which were named after his descendants.In the...
) and matriarchs (SarahSarahSarah or Sara was the wife of Abraham and the mother of Isaac as described in the Hebrew Bible and the Quran. Her name was originally Sarai...
, RebeccaRebeccaRebecca a biblical matriarch from the Book of Genesis and a common first name. In this book Rebecca was said to be a beautiful girl. As a name it is often shortened to Becky, Becki or Becca; see Rebecca ....
, and LeahLeahLeah , as described in the Hebrew Bible, is the first of the two concurrent wives of the Hebrew patriarch Jacob and mother of six of sons whose descendants became the Twelve Tribes of Israel, along with at least one daughter, Dinah. She is the daughter of Laban and the older sister of Rachel, whom...
). It was also the capital of the Kingdom of Israel before King David moved it to Jerusalem.
Zimmers and biblical attractions
Israeli settlers in the West Bank run vacation cabins called "zimmers" with special amenities for OrthodoxOrthodox Judaism
Orthodox Judaism , is the approach to Judaism which adheres to the traditional interpretation and application of the laws and ethics of the Torah as legislated in the Talmudic texts by the Sanhedrin and subsequently developed and applied by the later authorities known as the Gaonim, Rishonim, and...
Jews. A biblical tourist attraction in Alon, Genesis Land, is visited by Jews
Jews
The Jews , also known as the Jewish people, are a nation and ethnoreligious group originating in the Israelites or Hebrews of the Ancient Near East. The Jewish ethnicity, nationality, and religion are strongly interrelated, as Judaism is the traditional faith of the Jewish nation...
, Christians and Muslims, who take part in building Bible-era tents, herding sheep and goats, and drawing water from a well. One of the zimmers is called Abraham's Tent.
Gaza
The climate of the Gaza Strip (an average temperature of 26°C in August) and its 75 km of coastline make it ideal in principle for foreign tourism, which could provide a basis for the economy of Gaza. Tourism between Egypt and Gaza was active before 1967, and Gaza was a resort with hotel casinos, but few tourists visited after the war. A recession in Israel in the mid-80s again reduced tourism in Gaza to almost none.Before the second intifada, Gaza could be reached by tourists by taking a private taxi via the Erez crossing point, or via a flight to Gaza International Airport. Gaza City had few attractions aside from the Palestine Square bazaar and the beach area, which had hotels, restaurants, and a fishing market. Israeli Arabs visited beaches in Gaza, and there were popular nightclubs.
In 2001, the Palestinian Ministry of Environmental Affairs said that the beaches in Gaza were too polluted with sewage for safe beach tourism and that beach-side construction has been haphazard and unplanned. The Palestinian National Authority identified the Jabalya/Beit Lahya, Gaza City, Nezarim/Wadi Gazi, and Rafah/Khan Yunis beach areas as having potential for the development of beach tourism in 2001. Following the Israeli disengagement from Gaza in August 2005 there were expectations that tourism in Gaza could be developed, and local people and visitors from the West Bank visited Deir al-Balah as a tourist destination and on honeymoon, but the lack of outside access to Gaza due to the Israeli-enforced blockade since Hamas took power in 2007 now rules out inward tourism. Hamas' vice police are also increasingly imposing strict rules on dress and behaviour at beaches. There are some upmarket hotels such as Al Deira, which opened in 2000, though luxuries like the soaps and shampoos are smuggled from Egypt due to the Israeli blockade. Guests other than journalists and diplomats are rare.
In 2010 Gaza experienced a building boom in the construction of for-profit recreational facilities, Some of the new amusement parks and restaurants are Hamas business ventures. Among the many new leisure facilities in Gaza are the Crazy Water Park
Crazy Water Park
The Crazy Water Aqua Fun Park was a water park in the Gaza Strip, Palestinian territories, that served the territory's small wealthy class. The park opened in May 2010 and was burned down by masked men in September 2010, after being closed by the Palestinian Hamas de facto government for allowing...
, the Al-Bustan resort (Gaza), and the Bisan City tourist village
Bisan City tourist village
The Bisan City tourist village is a pleasure garden located in the northern part of Gaza.The 270 dunam leisure park includes a new wedding hall, gardens, soccer fields, an Olympic-size swimming pool a 19-hectare zoo, playgrounds, soccer fields, and restaurants. 6,000 people are said to visit...
. Among the many new restaurants are the Roots Club
Roots Club
Roots Club is an upscale restaurant and catering hall in Gaza. Restaurant reviewers expect the restaurant to bring "a new era of hospitality and dining experience" to Gazans.The club is located on Cairo Street in the Gaza district of Rimal...
, the Faisal Equestrian Club
Faisal Equestrian Club
The Faisal Equestrian Club is an equestrian club and upscale restaurant in Gaza.The track is the site of horse races, a "popular sport" in Gaza according a 1994 article in the Rocky Mountain News. As of July 2010, the club was the sole equestrian club in the Gaza strip...
and the new restaurant at the Gaza Museum of Archaeology
Gaza Museum of Archaeology
The Gaza Museum of Archaeology called in English the AlMath'af, Recreational Cultural House opened to the public in fall 2008 in Gaza. The Museum is a privately owned restaurant, hotel, and conference center, with a privately owned museum that houses antiquities discovered in the Gaza Strip from...
which also features a high-end boutique hotel.
Israeli resorts
Before the Israeli evacuation of Gaza, resorts in Israeli settlements included the Palm Beach Hotel in Neve DekalimNeve Dekalim
Neve Dekalim was an Israeli settlement and a community in the Gush Katif settlement bloc in the Gaza Strip. It was founded in 1983 after the Israeli withdrawal from the Sinai Peninsula, on sand dunes that were previously uninhabited. The village served as a regional center for the Gush Katif...
. It closed in 2002 due to the second intifada.