Palestine: PM Mohammad Shtayyeh announces tourism sector to reopen after 1.5 year hiatus

Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh on Sunday, 24 October, informed about the reopening of international tourism in Palestine after a year and a half hiatus. Tourists from other countries were not allowed in the country owing to the spread of the COVID pandemic, reported Xinhua. While inaugurating development projects in the West Bank city of Bethlehem, Palestinian PM Mohammad Shtayyeh announced the return of international tourism in the country after 1.5 years.

Palestinian PM announces the return of international tourism 

Mohammad Shtayyeh stated that Israeli authorities have not allowed foreign tourists for staying overnight in Bethlehem. He added that Bethlehem is ready for local and international tourism, reported Xinhua. Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh said that the government was ready for tourists travelling to Bethlehem who need to stay overnight in the hotels in the city and East Jerusalem.

The Palestinian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities in a statement mentioned that the city of Bethlehem can start receiving tourists from other countries, reported Xinhua. Furthermore, they stated that the tourists need to stay in the Palestinian hotels from 6 November. The Ministry further revealed that the training of tourism workers was supervised by them. The workers were trained on approved health standards for tourists and rules that need to be followed due to COVID.

Last week, a joint report published by the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics and the tourism ministry revealed that the tourism sector of the country during the past year faced a loss of over $1 billion due to COVID-19, reported Xinhua. Since March 2020, after the COVID cases started getting reported in the city, nearly 70 hotels had stopped functioning in Bethlehem. This led to unemployment among the residents and no foreign tourists were allowed to travel Bethlehem. The report, jointly published by the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics and the ministry of tourism and antiquities, stated that the tourism business in Palestine was deteriorating due to the COVID-19, particularly in the city of Bethlehem, reported Xinhua. Furthermore, the report added that the Palestinian government had eased its COVID-related restrictions in the country. The government had permitted all sectors to work "normally", however, the tourism sector is still suffering, particularly in Bethlehem.

Image: Twitter/@DRSHTAYYEH