|
Tourism in the Palestinian territories refers to tourism in East Jerusalem, the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. In 2010, 4.6 million people visited the Palestinian territories, compared to 2.6 million in 2009. Of that number, 2.2 million were foreign tourists while 2.7 million were domestic. This number of international visits is misleading, however, since most tourists come for only a few hours or as part of a day trip itinerary. In the last quarter of 2012 over 150,000 guests stayed in West Bank hotels; 40% were European and 9% were from the United States and Canada.〔http://www.travel-impact-newswire.com/2013/03/europeans-dominate-visitor-arrivals-to-palestine-in-2012/#story3〕 Major travel guides write that "the West Bank is not the easiest place in which to travel but the effort is richly rewarded."〔Israel and the Palestinian Territories. p254. Lonely Planet Publications. 2012〕 The Palestinian Authority and Israeli tourism ministries have attempted to work together on tourism in the Palestinian territories in a Joint Committee. Recent cooperation to share access to foreign tourists has not proven successful in Palestine for many reasons.〔http://english.pnn.ps/index.php/national/3396-destination-palestine-tourisms-denied-potential Dec. 18, 2012 Retrieved March 7,2014accessed〕 Israel controls the movement of tourists into the West Bank. Palestinian tour guides or transportation companies have not been able to enter Israel since 2000, and in 2009, Israel's Ministry of Tourism completely wiped the West Bank and any Palestinian area from its materials. Former Palestinian Authority Tourism Minister Kholoud Diibes has commented "that Israel collects 90% of () pilgrim-related revenue". Foreign tourism has been restricted to East Jerusalem and the West Bank since the August 2013 indefinite closing of the Rafah crossing located between Egypt and the Hamas controlled Gaza Strip.〔http://www.timesofisrael.com/egypt-shutters-gaza-border-crossing-indefinitely/〕 There is essentially no tourist flow to Gaza since 2005 because of the ongoing Israeli military land, air, and sea blockade. In 2013 Palestinian Authority Tourism minister Rula Ma'ay'a stated that her government aims to encourage international visits to Palestine, but the occupation is the main factor preventing the tourism sector from becoming a major income source to Palestinians.〔http://english.wafa.ps/index.php?action=detail&id=22622〕 There are no visa conditions imposed on foreign nationals other than those imposed by the visa policy of Israel. Access to Jerusalem, the West Bank, and Gaza is completely controlled by the Government of Israel..Entry to the occupied Palestinian territories requires only a valid international passport.〔http://jerusalem.usconsulate.gov/border-crossings.html〕 ==History== The tourist industry in the West Bank collapsed after the 1967 Arab-Israeli War, but recovered by the 1990s, especially after the Oslo Accords. The Second Intifada (2000-2006), resulted in a decline of 90% in the tourism industry, but since it has partially recovered, and in 2010, 4.6 million people visited the Palestinian territories, including 2.2 million from abroad〔 Tourism focuses on historical and biblical sites in East Jerusalem, Bethlehem and Jericho,〔 and the economy of the latter is particularly dependent on tourism. In 2007 there were over 300,000 guests at Palestinian hotels, half in East Jerusalem.〔 NGOs including the Alternative Tourism Group promote tourism to the West Bank.〔 Tourism between Egypt and Gaza was active before the 1967 war, 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 from Israel, or via a flight to Gaza International Airport.There has been no airline use of this airport since 2002 following military damage. A small runway exists near the UNRWA Khan Younis refugee camp but this air strip is not serviceable due to the blockade. Gaza City attractions included the Palestine Square bazaar and the beach area, which had hotels, restaurants, and a fishing market. Israeli Arabs and Jews visited beaches in Gaza, and there were popular nightclubs. Today, about 67% of tours to the occupied Palestinian territories are by religious Christians, mostly from North America and Europe. These modern day pilgrims visit major religious and tourist sites related to Biblical history. Many traditional religious tours are now arranging meetings with Palestinian Christians for personal interaction. Many travelers to this region feel that security concerns are overstated. The U.S. State Dept. points out that "Over three million foreign citizens, including hundreds of thousands of U.S. citizens, safely visit Israel and the West Bank each year for study, tourism, and business."〔U.S. Dept. of State(June 2013) International Travel Information: ''Israel, the West Bank, and Gaza'' http://travel.state.gov/travel/cis_pa_tw/tw/tw_6010.html〕 There are many walking tours in the West Bank,〔Szepesi, Stefan(2012) ''Walking Palestine- 25 Journeys into the West Bank''. Interlink Books. ISBN 978-1-56656-860-9〕 and a celebrity chef's recent visit to Israel, the West Bank, and Gaza was followed by a show devoted to the local cuisine.〔''Anthony Bourdain :Parts Unknown''. Season 2 episode 1, CNN Sept. 15, 2013 http://edition.cnn.com/video/shows/anthony-bourdain-parts-unknown/season-2/jerusalem/index.html〕 A growing number of tourist groups visit the classical holy sites but expand their trips to learn about Palestinian culture, Biblical history, and social issues. Different views are presented through personal visits with Palestinians, Christians, Muslims, and Jews often within local and international peace organizations. Religious tours that offer this type of experience include the Presbyterian Peacemaking Program〔''Presbyterian Peacemaking Program''. www.pcusa.org/mosaicofpeace〕 and Friends of Sabeel North America.〔''Friends of Sabeel-North America.'' http://www.fosna.org/content/conferences-and-trips〕 Travelers are encouraged to return and make their church communities aware of all of the issues by sharing their personal experiences. A service component may be included in these tours such as assisting in the fall olive harvest〔http://www.ifpb.org/ Interfaith Peace-Builders〕 or working with church-based neutral observers to monitor and record events as part of peace-keeping efforts between Israeli settlers and local Palestinians.〔''Christian Peacemaker Teams''. http://www.cpt.org/participate/delegation〕 One travel guide suggests that "Volunteering in Palestine can be a hugely rewarding experience and opportunities in health, culture, fair trade, agriculture, youth work, and women's empowerment are listed for all areas". 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Tourism in the Palestinian territories」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
|