JERUSALEM: RECENT VIOLENCE IN THE HOLY LAND MEANS THE INFLUX OF TOURISTS AND PILGRIMS HAS DECREASED
Record ID:
648828
JERUSALEM: RECENT VIOLENCE IN THE HOLY LAND MEANS THE INFLUX OF TOURISTS AND PILGRIMS HAS DECREASED
- Title: JERUSALEM: RECENT VIOLENCE IN THE HOLY LAND MEANS THE INFLUX OF TOURISTS AND PILGRIMS HAS DECREASED
- Date: 8th April 2001
- Summary: OLD CITY, JERUSALEM (FILE) (REUTERS - ACCESS ALL) 1. LV/SLV OF VIOLENT CLASHES INSIDE OLD CITY SINCE THE BEGINNING OF LATEST INTIFADA/ STONE THROWING/ FIRES BURNING/ ISRAELIS ON HORSEBACK (5 SHOTS) 0.19 JERUSALEM (APRIL 8, 2001) (REUTERS - ACCESS ALL) 2. SV PULL OUT SLV OF OLD CITY/ EMPTY STREET 0.31 3. CU SIGN "VIA DOLOROSA" 0.35 4. SV RESTAURANT STAFF CLEANING EMPTY TABLES OUTSIDE CAFE 0.46 5. SV HOTEL SIGNS (2 SHOTS) 0.53 6. LV EMPTY CHAIRS OUTSIDE HOTEL 0.57 7. SLV PULL OUT LV DESERTED ARAB SHOPPING AREA IN OLD CITY 1.06 8. SV/CU OF RELIGIOUS SOUVENIRS ON SALE (4 SHOTS) 1.19 9. SV (English) SHOP OWNER, ZIAD HASHIMA: "Everything is empty. There are no tourists, everybody is suffering. We are not crying, we are just explaining the situation." 1.32 10. CU ARTIFACTS ON SALE 1.36 11. MCU (English) HASHIMA: "Usually at Easter we have pilgrims who come from Cyprus and from Greece, yearly about ten thousand people. This year only three hundred people so it's very very bad, it's terrible - the worst we have ever seen in our life." 1.56 12. LAS/SV/SLV OF EMPTY STREETS/ SHOP OWNERS AND WORKERS SITTING ON CHAIRS OUTSIDE (4 SHOTS) 2.28 13. CU OF UNSOLD ARTIFACTS ON SALE (3 SHOTS) 2.36 14. MCU (English) SHOP OWNER, NAJEEB GHANIM, 48: "Our life, now it's very very bad. Now it's very very bad. First we were selling let's say one thousand dollars daily, now we sell nothing, maybe ten dollars daily. Even now not even the food, you see, it's bad." 2.59 JERUSALEM (APRIL 9, 2001) (REUTERS - ACCESS ALL) 15. SLV PULL OUT LV EXTERIOR HOLY SEPULCHRE/ WOODEN CRUCIFIXES (CARRIED ON GOOD FRIDAY) LEANING AGAINST HOLY SEPULCHRE/ MAN DOZING IN THE SUN 3.12 16. CU SIGN SAYING HOLY SEPULCHRE 3.16 17. LAS GOODS ON SALE 3.26 JERUSALEM (APRIL 10, 2001) (REUTERS - ACCESS ALL) 18. TOP VIEW OF OLD CITY 3.31 19. CU/MCU OREN DRORI, MARKETING STRATEGY DIRECTOR FOR THE ISRAELI TOURISM MINISTRY, LOOKING AT OLD CITY (2 SHOTS) 3.38 20. SV JEWISH TOURISTS LOOKING OVER OLD CITY 3.43 21. MCU (English) OREN DRORI, MARKETING STRATEGY DIRECTOR FOR THE ISRAELI TOURISM MINISTRY SAYING: "I would say that only in the last six months, Israel had lost more than one billion U.S. dollars from losses in the field of tourism, especially in the hotel industry, some hotels had to be shut down. Private businesses, small hotels, gifts and things that people do buy here usually in the holiday have been affected tremendously. Restaurants. That's true to both sides, Israelis and Arabs, especially in locations like the Old City in Jerusalem, especially in locations such as in Nazarate up in the Galilee and so on. The effect is tremendous, no doubt about it, especially in small businesses." 4.27 JERUSALEM (APRIL 8, 2001) (REUTERS - ACCESS ALL) 22. SV PILGRIMS WAVING PALMS AND DANCING IN PALM SUNDAY CELEBRATIONS 4.40 23. LAS/SV PEOPLE WALKING IN PALM SUNDAY PROCESSION (2 SHOTS) 4.52 24. SV MONKS IN PALM SUNDAY PROCESSION 5.03 25. MCU (English) STEVEN, A PILGRIM: "Maybe some people are afraid, maybe some aren't, but I think it's cool that people are still coming to do this." 5.13 26. MCU (English) REVEREND MUSGRAVE FROM ST. ANDREWS CHURCH OF SCOTLAND: "I think that people who are here are not at all worried about security. I've just taken a photograph because I think it's quite amusing that the Israeli police and the IDF (Israeli Defence forces) are out protecting us with guns. I don't think any of us feel any sense of a threat at all." 5.28 27. SV/CU SECURITY WATCHING (3 SHOTS) 5.46 28. SLV SECURITY IN OLD CITY 6.00 Initials Script is copyright Reuters Limited. All rights reserved
- Embargoed: 23rd April 2001 13:00
- Keywords:
- Location: JERUSALEM
- City:
- Country: Israel
- Reuters ID: LVAAVD20MZVK93SHE8YVCJ54NOUJ
- Story Text: Christians all over the world are celebrating Easter.
But in the Holy Land recent violence has meant the normal
influx of tourists and pilgrims hoping to spend the holiday
retracing the last movements of Jesus Christ has decreased
substantially.
The situation has had a dramatic effect over the whole
region, with hotels barely half full and restaurants and shops
in danger of going out of business.
For the past six months scenes like this have dominated
the Holy Land. While always a hotbed of tension, the ancient
ancient religious sites would still entice hundreds of
thousands of tourists every year. But not now.
Easter is traditionally a busy time for tourism in
Jerusalem, when tourists and pilgrims from all over the world
flock to retrace Jesus' last movements on earth leading up to
his crucifixion and resurrection. This year, however, the
latest Intifiada and resulting violence has dramatically
reduced the usual influx, causing dire repercussions for all
involved in the tourist industry.
The millennium year 2000 saw a record-breaking year for
tourism in Israel. The large influx prompted optimistic
predictions of 3.2 million visitors for 2001. Instead,
however, there has been an overall decrease of around 50
percent.
The Israeli Ministry for tourism says the fall in visitors
from Italy and Germany has been most prominent with a drop of
around 70 percent. Arrivals from the United States have fallen
by 50 percent with American evangelists still coming. Visitors
from France, Britain and the Netherlands have seen the least
change, with around 70 percent of last year's numbers still
visiting.
Stores in Arab East Jerusalem, traditionally crowded with
souvenir hunters, stand deserted, their bulging shelves full
of unsold goods and trinkets. Restaurants and cafes, primarily
reliant on tourists, go unfrequented.
Owners are in despair, with grave concerns for their
future.
"Everything is empty. There are no tourists, everybody is
suffering," said Ziad Hashima, a shop owner. "Usually at
Easter we have pilgrims who come from Cyprus and from Greece,
yearly about ten thousand people. This year only three hundred
people so it's very very bad, it's terrible - the worst we
have ever seen in our life."
"Our life, now it's very, very bad. We were selling let's
say one thousand dollars daily, now we sell nothing, maybe ten
dollars daily," said 48-year-old Najeeb Ghanim, another shop
owner. He added he did not even have enough for food.
Though trying play down the gravity of the situation and
appear optimistic, Israel concedes the situation is serious
and has set off a chain reaction affecting the whole country.
Marketing Strategy Director for the Israeli tourism
ministry, Oren Drori, said in the last six months Israel had
lost more than one billion U.S. dollars and stands to lose a
similar amount in expected revenue.
"Private businesses, small hotels, gifts and things that
people do buy here usually in the holiday have been affected
tremendously," Drori said. "That's true to both sides,
Israelis and Arabs, especially in locations like the Old City
in Jerusalem."
The slowdown has been felt immediately. Over the last six
months one fifth of the 100,000 workers employed in the "inner
circle" of the tourism industry - in hotels, attractions
agencies and guides - have already been fired from their jobs,
most from hotels. And this does not include restaurant and
shop staff and taxi drivers.
Drori said training programmes had been put in force to
utilise this down time productively. He says around one third
of the 20,000 unemployed have been offered places on these
courses, usually for training in their current job, with the
ultimate aim of improving the service once things get going
again and keeping them involved in the tourism industry.
He also claimed Israel is extending support for foreign
travel agencies in order to encourage them to stay.
The pilgrims who have come to Israel despite the warnings
say it is worth the risk to experience Easter in the Holy
Land.
"Maybe some people are afraid, maybe some aren't," a
pilgrim called Steven said. "But I think it's cool that people
are still coming to do this."
"I think that people who are here are not at all worried
about security," said Reverend Musgrave from St. Andrews
Church of Scotland. "I've just taken a photograph because I
think it's quite amusing that the Israeli police and the IDF
(Israeli Defence forces) are out protecting us with guns. I
don't think any of us feel any sense of a threat at all."
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