RAMALLAH, September 27, 2010 (WAFA)- The Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics (PCBS) said the number of hotels in the Palestinian Territory reached 94 hotels in June of 2010.
In a press release on the Occasion of World Tourism Day, PCBS said: Since 1980, the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) has celebrated World Tourism Day on September 27. This date marks the adoption of the Statutes of the UNWTO in 1970. The adoption of these Statutes is considered a milestone in global tourism. The purpose of this day is to raise awareness on the role of tourism within the international community and to demonstrate how it affects social, cultural, political and economic values worldwide.
PCBS marked this occasion by releasing updated indicators on the tourism sector in the Palestinian Territory.
The number of hotels in the Palestinian Territory reached 94 hotels in June of 2010; it increased by 3% compared with June 2009. The capacity of these hotels was 4,804 rooms, including 10,266 beds. The average number of employees in these hotels was 1,707 of whom 15% were females.
There are 86 hotels in the West Bank in June of this year with a capacity of 4,483 rooms, including 9,730 beds, where the average number of employees in these hotels was 1,628 of whom 18% of them were female. On the other hand, there are 8 hotels in Gaza Strip including 321 rooms and 536 beds, where the average number of workers in these hotels was 79 of whom 1% were females.
Jerusalem governorate has the largest number of hotels with 29 hotels, including 1,452 rooms comprising 3,165 beds. There are 7 hotels in the North of the West Bank with a capacity of 166 rooms comprising 363 beds; 25 hotels in the Middle of the West Bank with a capacity of 994 rooms comprising 2,038 beds while in the South of the West Bank there are 25 hotels, including 1,867 rooms comprising 4,016 beds.
The total number of guests in hotels during the first half of 2010 reached 264,214 of whom 9% were Palestinians, and 40% were from European Union countries. The number of hotel guests in the West Bank amounted to 263,704 compared to 510 in the Gaza Strip, this was an increase of 52% compared with the number of guests for the same period last year, while the number of nights in the West Bank was 603,549 and 701 were in Gaza.
The results of the survey indicate that 38% of the households (one member at least) conducted domestic trips during the year 2009, of which 34% in the West Bank and less than 48% in Gaza Strip.
The results indicate that the main destination was Jericho and Al-Aghwar governorate in the West Bank with 31% of visitors; while 20% of the households traveled to Tulkarm governorate, and 15% traveled to Nablus governorate. For Gaza Strip, 42% of all traveled households visited Gaza governorate in 2009 and 31% visited Khan Yunis.
The expenditure of domestic tourism by the households amounted to US$ 10.5 million of which $7.7 million as the expenditure of the households in the West Bank and with $2.8 million for households of Gaza Strip.
The results of the survey indicate that 16% of the households (one member at least) in the Palestinian Territory during the year 2009 traveled for outbound trips, of which 22% in the West Bank and less than 1% in Gaza
The results also indicate that 52% of the households that took trips visited Jordan, 21% visited Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and 3% visited Egypt. The Total expenditure for outbound tourism by households reached US$ 137.2 million.
The pattern of expenditure of the households during the last trip was as follows: $40.0 million was consumed on shopping and US$ 28.7 million on Transportations and Telecommunications.
