RAMALLAH, (PIC)
A Palestinian report revealed that the Israeli occupation forces (IOF) have destroyed approximately 5,000 touristic facilities in the Gaza Strip, since October 7, 2023.
A joint report, published by the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics and the Palestinian Ministry of Tourism, on the World Tourism Day, which is observed annually on September 27, shows that estimates suggest that the Israeli aggression against the Gaza Strip has led to total or partial destruction of the majority of touristic facilities in the Strip.
The report indicates that 4,992 facilities engaged in tourism activities have been destroyed, including 3,450 restaurants and beverage service establishments, which represent 69.1% of the touristic facilities in the Gaza Strip, as well as 921 venues for artistic events, comprising 18.4% of the total, in addition to the destruction of 182 craft and souvenir manufacturing and sales outlets, along with 173 hospitality-related facilities.
The report further emphasizes that 15,265 workers have lost their jobs in the tourism sector.
The report also shows that Israeli measures led to a sharp decline in tourism activities in the occupied West Bank, noting that the number of hotel guests, during the first half of the year 2024, witnessed a significant decline of 84.2 percent, compared to the same period in the previous year.
The report also indicated that touristic sites in the West Bank witnessed a decline in the movement of local visitors during the first half of the year 2024, with about 1.2 million visits, showing a decrease of 39 percent compared to the same period in 2023.
It estimated the decrease in the number of tourism workers during the first quarter of the year 2024 in the West Bank by 39.7 percent, compared to 3.8 percent in the same period in 2023.
Israeli occupation army and settlers escalated their incursions and crimes in the West Bank cities, leading to hundreds of martyrs and wounded, in tandem with its ongoing genocide war in the Gaza Strip since October 7, last year.
