[QODLink]
Middle East
Holy Land gets tourism boost
A considerable increase in the number of visitors to Bethlehem boosts local economy and Palestine's national income.
Last Modified: 24 Dec 2010 18:30 GMT

For tens of thousands of Christians from all around the world, Christmas this year is a memorable one.

They have made the pilgrimage to Bethlehem, the Palestinian city revered as the biblical birthplace of Jesus Christ.

Tourism is Palestine's main source of national income, making up some 15 per cent of the GDP.

But most of the tourists who come are visitors, spending time in the city but not sleeping over.

Al Jazeera's Nour Odeh reports from Bethlehem in the West Bank.

Source:
Al Jazeera
Topics in this article
People
Country
Featured on Al Jazeera
Al Jazeera's exclusive publishing of a key Guantanamo prison military document lays bare the brutality of force-feeding.
Former military official says poverty and anger in indigenous communities mean conditions for an "insurgency" are ripe.
A four-part series that gives a rare insight into the country on the move, with history in tow.
Series on the Palestinian 'catastrophe' of 1948 that led to dispossession and conflict that still endures.
Featured
Two years since the start of the uprising, rebels and Assad's forces remain locked in conflict.
A four-part series that gives a rare insight into the country on the move, with history in tow.
News and analysis of 2013 presidential contest as Ahmadinejad finishes second term.
Extensive coverage of war crimes tribunals and controversial calls for blasphemy laws.
Series on the Palestinian 'catastrophe' of 1948 that led to dispossession and conflict that still endures.
join our mailing list