The Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics and the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities issue a joint press release

 on the occasion of the World Tourism Day, 27/09/2024

The Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics (PCBS), in cooperation with the Palestinian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities, issued a press release on the occasion of the World Tourism Day, on September 27 each year.

The World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) has set the theme of the World Tourism Day for 2024 to be “Tourism and Peace"; yet, we, as Palestinians, the theme of our World Tourism Day is "Tourism and Hope".

On this occasion, the most prominent tourism indicators in Palestine were presented, which reflect a clear decline in the tourism sector compared to the previous two years due to the ongoing Israeli aggression against the Palestinian people, as follows:

The Number of Hotel Guests in the West Bank Declined during the First Half of 2024

The number of hotel guests during the first half of 2024 has sharply declined compared to the same period of the previous year, where it reached 84.2%. The number of hotel guests in the West Bank reached 59.8 thousand guests, with 138.9 thousand overnight stays.

Ramallah and Al-Bireh hotels received the largest number of guests with 26% of the total number of hotel guests, followed by hotels in Jericho and Al-Aghwar Governorate with 22.3%, followed by hotels in Nablus Governorate with 22.0%, while Bethlehem hotels with 10.3%.

It is worth noting that 48% of hotel guests are inbound visitors from Palestinians residing in the 1948 territories while domestic guests constituted 35%, and 17% of total guests were from other nationalities.

Number of Hotel Guests in the West Bank by Governorate,

during the First Half of the Years (2024-2020)

                                     -: No observations

The Number of Inbound Same-day Visitors to the West Bank Sharply Declined during the First Half of 2024[1]

More than 464 thousand inbound visits (same-day visitors) to tourist sites in the West Bank during the first half of 2024 compared to 1,921 in the first half of 2023, where it declined by 47.8%, of which 417 thousand Palestinians who reside in the 1948 territories and 48 thousand arrivals from abroad.

Number of Visits during the First Half of the Years

(2021-2024)

A sharp decline in Domestic Visits

During the first half of 2024, tourist sites in the West Bank witnessed a sharp decline in the movement of domestic visitors, resulting in 1,213 thousand visits to tourist sites, gardens and various parks. When compared to the same period in 2023, the number of domestic visits decreased by 39.0%.

A Sharp Decrease in the Number of Employees Working in Tourism Sector in the Second Quarter of 2024 in the West Bank

The number of employees working in tourism activities decreased by 39.7% compared to the same period in 2023 in the West Bank, as the number of employees working in tourism sector reached 24 thousand employees during the second quarter of 2024, constituting 3.8% of the total number of employees in Palestine.

The number of employees working in tourism sector is distributed according to the status of employment to 17.4 thousand wage workers (16.3 thousand males, and 1.1 thousand females), and 4.7 thousand are self-employed (4.3 thousand males and 0.3 thousand females), and 794 are business owners and the rest are unpaid family members.

The Impact of the Israeli Aggression on Tourism Activities in Gaza Strip (Establishments, Employees)

It is estimated that the ongoing Israeli aggression and the systematic destruction of the Israeli war machine in Gaza Strip has caused the destruction of most of the tourist facilities completely or partially, where approximately 4,992 establishments engaged in tourism activity were destroyed, including 3,450 establishments in restaurants and beverage serving activities (which constitute 69.1% of tourist establishments in Gaza Strip), 921 establishments in Creative Activities, Arts and other entertainment activities (18.4% of tourist establishments in Gaza Strip), 182 establishments in the manufacture and sale of handicraft products and souvenirs, and 173 establishments in the activities of hotels, accommodation and similar facilities.

Number of Tourism Establishments in Gaza Strip that were Partially or Completely Destroyed in 2024

The ongoing Israeli aggression also caused 15,265 workers in the tourism activity to lose their jobs, including 10,887 workers in restaurants and beverage serving activities (which constitute 71.3% of those working in tourism activities in Gaza Strip), including 2,277 in Creative Activities, Arts and other entertainment activities (which constitute 14.9% of those working in tourism activities in Gaza Strip), including 964 workers in hotels, accommodation and similar facilities.

Number of Workers Who Lost their Jobs in the Tourism Sector in Gaza Strip 2024