Palestinians expect tourism boom in West Bank post UNESCO listing of prehistoric site

Thursday, October 5, 2023

A prehistoric site in the occupied West Bank’s ancient city of Jericho has fuelled Palestinian expectations of a tourism boom after UNESCO designated it a World Heritage site.

Only a few dozen people braved the noon warmth to go around Tell Al Sultan, where archaeologists have discovered signs of community life reaching back 10,000 years.

Passers-by may miss the unassuming mound on the outskirts of Jericho, but it attracted international notice in September when it was added to UNESCO’s World Heritage List.Residents lit fireworks in celebration, fully aware that such acknowledgment may transform their fortunes.

“For the first time, I felt that there was justice in the world,” said Jericho mayor Abdulkareem Sider.
“Hopefully it will have a significant positive impact on the number of tourists,” he added.

Jericho is rich in ancient antiquities, notably the enormous mosaics of Hisham’s Palace, an early Islamic complex that Palestinian officials believe will be the next to be listed by UNESCO.

Other biblical places dot the terrain, including a monastery clinging to the Mount of Temptation, where Christians believe Jesus fought Satan for 40 days.Nonetheless, despite such cultural resources, tourist numbers remain low.

According to the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics, 32,535 hotel guests stayed in the Jericho area in the first half of this year.This contrasts to 221,377 in Bethlehem, the West Bank town where Christians commemorate Jesus’ birth.

Mohammed Mansour, in charge of managing Jericho’s ancient monuments, acknowledges the deficiencies but claims that changes are on the way owing to Italian money.Mansour’s face brightened up as he spoke about the 29 cultural strata discovered at Tell Al Sultan, where inhabitants were able to build stairs up a tower thousands of years ago and create community life and a religious system.However, while local and foreign funds will help to promote tourism in the city, Palestinians do not have the authority to issue tourist visas.

Tell Al Sultan can view Jordan, but the neighboring crossing is controlled by Israel, which has occupied the West Bank since the 1967 Six-Day War.

Both Mansour and the mayor expressed regret that many tourists visit Jericho as part of a larger tour conducted by operators with Israeli licenses, leading tourists to assume they are in Israel rather than the Palestinian territory.

Israeli Arabs, descendants of Palestinians who stayed on their land after Israel’s establishment in 1948, also visit the city.

The mayor hopes to improve the visitor experience by lighting up historic landmarks so that they may be visited after dark and encouraging tourists to explore more of the Jordan Valley.

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