RAMALLAH, September 27, 2016 (WAFA) – While over two million visits were made to tourist and leisure sites in the West Bank during the first half of 2016, the number was actually down when compared to the same period of the previous year, according to a joint report by the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics (PCBS) and the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities published Tuesday.
These visits, the report says, included 952,000 visits by inbound visitors and 1.12 million visits by domestic visitors. The number of inbound and domestic visits decreased by 5% and 32% respectively compared to the same period in 2015.
Most inbound visits were to Jericho and the Jordan Valley with 32%, followed by Bethlehem governorate with 29%, Jenin 16% and Nablus 14%.
Palestinians from inside Israel accounted for the largest proportion of inbound visitors with 54% with 514,000 visits, followed by 7% from the United States with 66,000 visits, the Russian Federation 6% with 57,000 visits, India 3% with 24,000 visits, both Poland and Romania equally by 2% with 23,000 visits for each, and 26% were from other nationalities with 245,000 visits.
Inbound and domestic visitor data do not include Jerusalem and Gaza Strip.
The PCBS also said 194,000 hotel guests spent 605,000 nights during the first half of 2016 in the West Bank hotels, showing a decrease in guests of 20% compared to the first half of 2015.
Guests were distributed by region as follows: 52% in the south of the West Bank, 23% in Jerusalem hotels, 15% in the center of the West Bank (Ramallah and Al-Bireh, Jericho and Jordan Valley), and 10% in the north of the West Bank.
In June 2016, there were 113 hotels in the West Bank comprising 6,710 available rooms with 14,798 beds.
In addition, there were 7,064 establishments working in the tourism sector in Palestine in 2014.
The main operations included: 2,634 restaurants; 1,129 shops selling souvenirs and handicrafts; 1,667 outlets in beverage serving; 224 working in antiques and wooden handcrafts; 237 car rental services; 108 providing services organizing trips to Haj and Umrah; 116 in short-term accommodation (hotels), 58 travel and tourism agencies; and a further 891 establishments engaged in related tourism activities, including: creative arts and entertainment activities, and other recreational activities.
The total output of establishments working in tourism activities in 2014 was $603.2 million.
This was made up of 38% by restaurants, 22% by accommodation activities, 12% of beverage serving activities, 7% from renting and operational leasing of passenger cars, 7% for retail sale of souvenirs, craftwork and religious articles, and 14% distributed on the remaining tourism activities.
M.N./M.A.
