Palestine's International Visitors Barriers: Case Studies of Bethlehem and Ramallah

Abstract

This study investigated the demographic characteristics, the travel experiences and the intentions to revisit of international tourists to the cities of Bethlehem and Ramallah, which are located in Palestine. The study conducted a survey to collect data from 293 international visitors, 8 years after the second Palestinian uprising called 'intifada' began. The results revealed that the majority of the foreign tourists were Europeans who traveled for religious and spiritual purposes. Moreover, most of the tourists were willing to revisit Palestine. This study resulted in a comprehensive understanding of tourism characteristics under the current political circumstances of Palestine, leading to significant implications for tourism policy-makers.Note: Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin measure of sampling adequacy = 0.85, n = 293. Eight of 45 original items eliminated from the analysis. 186J.

Impact of political instability on 1948-Palestinian shoppers’ satisfaction: Palestinian tourist destination as a case study

“…In a dynamic model, even if autocratic regimes do not resort to violence, they have lower numbers of tourist arrivals than more democratic regimes” [ 24 ]. Rozenholc- Escobar (2021) [ 25 ] reported that despite the continuous violence in Israel and Palestine, the religious sites of the three religions continue attracting tourists: pilgrimage sites, religious theme parks, and alternative tourism [ 26 ]. These are called “places of mobility,” producing “mobility of places.”…”

“…Baker and Crompton suggest that “gap variables” influence satisfaction, such as tourists' individual characteristics, behavior, desires, and external factors like weather and social interactions [ 24 ]. At the same time, total satisfaction is visitors' overall enjoyment when their expectations and requirements are met [ 26 ]. According to Beard and Ragheb, tourist satisfaction is a favorable perception created by visitors when they participate in leisure activities.…”

“…The trend of 1948-Palestinians visiting Nablus contributes to the reinforcement of cultural bonds. Over the past several decades, tourism researchers and authorities have noticed shifts in Palestinian tourism [ 2 , 26 , 41 , 42 , 43 ]. They have examined factors influencing tourism, such as travel, as well as delved into political instability, financial resources, infrastructure, and facilities [ 2 , 44 , 45 ].…”