Palestine ready to welcome 'a different kind of tourist’ once war ends
Sophie GriffithsTourism in Palestine is set to look vastly different after the war in Gaza, with UK travellers – in particular – looking to increase spend in local communities, according to the state’s tourism chief.
Speaking at WTM London, Majed Ishaq, director general of marketing at the ministry of tourism and antiquities, told TTG tourism was worth around 10% of Palestine’s GDP and would be “vital to rebuilding Palestine”. “My message at WTM London this year is that Palestine exists. We are here,” he said.
He added he had been overwhelmed by support from tourism partners at WTM London. “We didn’t expect this level of support from the UK – people have been crying at our stand. We now need to translate that support into traffic to Palestine once the war ends”.
Ishaq said he believed it would take “just days for tourism to return” to the country, adding: “We have group bookings ready to go and tourism partners that want to start promoting Palestine.”
He said he was hopeful the support from British people witnessed over the past year would also transform tourism to the country. “We’ve seen hundreds of thousands of people demonstrate against the war. I think there is huge empathy to bring tourism back to Palestine.
"I believe this new generation of tourists will be looking for a new narrative, where they want to spend time and money with Palestinian communities.”
Ishaq said he hoped this would lead to an increase in overnight stays, which would ultimately boost the local economy, with visitors crucial to popular sites such as Bethlehem, where Ishaq said 70% of the local economy depends on tourism.
Palestine received 2.5 million visitors between January and October 2023 with two million overnight stays. Poland is its number one source market, followed by the US and Ukraine. The UK typically ranks at ninth or tenth.
Ishaq said Palestine was also now receiving a number of bookings from Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines after the territory shifted its focus to south-east Asia, with travellers from these countries still visiting Palestine despite the war. Tourism numbers are currently at around 2-3% of its usual visitor numbers.
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