RAMALLAH, May 27, 2007, (WAFA)-The Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics (PCBS) said Sunday that the number of hotels operating in the Palestinian Territory at the end of first quarter was 78 hotels.

In a press release on Hotel Survey for the first quarter 2007, PCBS revealed that a total of 4,111 rooms with a total of 8,820 available beds, of which 20 hotels including 1,124 rooms comprising 2,471 beds in Jerusalem area, and the results show that the number of workers in the Palestinian hotels was 1,261 of which 175 are females.

"During the first quarter 2007, the total number of guests to the Palestinian Territory reached 49,289 persons, of which 18.1% of them were Palestinian guests, and 30.7% were from the European Union countries. While the total number of guest nights reached 106,111 nights, of which 11.4% of these nights was occupied by Palestinian guests, while 38.1% by the guests whom arrived from European Union countries, and 12.0% of these nights were occupied by the guests whom arrived from United State of America and Canada." PCBS added.

It said that the number of guests whom arrived from outside Palestinian Territory during the first quarter of 2007, was decreased to reach 82.0%, compared with 83.01% in the fourth quarter of 2006.

In the first quarter of 2007 the percentage occupancy of rooms in the Palestinian hotels was increased to reach 15.6%, compared with 13.5% in the same quarter of year 2006.

PCBS concluded that the results of the first quarter 2007 show the decreasing of the hotel indicators since the end of year 2000, the decreasing of number of guests and guest nights and percentage occupancy of rooms is 40.7%, 58.3% 57.8% respectively.

M.H.(09:40 P)(06:40 GMT)