Bethlehem sees Christmas tourism boost after two-year Covid hiatus

Tens of thousands of visitors are expected to stitchery successful Bethlehem for a Christmas procession, aft the town's system was severely deed by lockdowns.

Two years of muted celebrations person fixed mode to bustling streets, but numbers person not matched 2019's record.

Palestinian Christians and pilgrims volition aboriginal be midnight Mass astatine the 4th-Century Nativity Church.

Festivities travel a deadly escalation of unit successful the occupied West Bank and Israel.

Scout bands playing bagpipes and drummers escorting religion leaders entered Manger Square aft making their mode from Jerusalem, up of midnight Mass astatine the adjacent Church of the Nativity - which is built connected the tract wherever Jesus Christ is believed to person been born.

The grotto wrong the religion is the oldest tract continuously utilized arsenic a spot of worship successful Christianity.

Accompanying Palestinian Christians from arsenic acold distant arsenic Galilee and the Gaza Strip, determination are visitors from astir the world.

Although numbers are inactive little than the grounds level seen successful 2019, the streets are bustling and conscionable arsenic successful the Nativity story, determination is not a country to beryllium found, with section hotels afloat booked.

While businesspeople present are optimistic astir an economical recovery, determination is besides interest astir the interaction of a caller summation successful unit betwixt Israelis and Palestinians and however the policies of the incoming far-right Israeli authorities could summation tensions.

Earlier this month, Israel said its forces unintentionally killed a 16-year-old Palestinian miss during a weapon conflict with militants successful the occupied West Bank. In November, 5 Palestinian men were killed by Israeli forces successful 4 abstracted incidents successful the occupied West Bank, Palestinian and Israeli officials said.

For Rayson Kamalayos visiting from India, it is simply a "dream" to beryllium successful Bethlehem.

"We arsenic Christians are blessed to travel here, I americium blessed to beryllium here," helium added.

After grounds tourism numbers successful 2019, hopes had been precocious that 2020 would beryllium adjacent amended - but those hopes were dashed erstwhile Covid led to strict lockdowns crossed the occupied West Bank.

During that time, radical had to enactment indoors from 19:00 to 06:00 each nighttime and passim the full time connected Fridays and Saturdays, the Palestinian weekend, which constricted festive household gatherings.

Watching the parade from packed balconies with friends and relatives was not allowed.

"The occupancy complaint was implicit 90%. Everyone was investing successful this sector... Now, it's dead. It's precise bittersweet to see," Mariana al-Arja, a edifice manager, told the BBC 2 years ago.

But present Bethlehem, wherever the system is reliant connected tourism, is seeing "more and much tourists", said Palestinian Tourism Minister Rola Maayah.

"Last twelvemonth we celebrated Christmas during the pandemic and without immoderate tourists.

"This year, we are celebrating Christmas with tourists that get to Palestine, to Bethlehem from each implicit the world."