Bethlehem.
Entrepreneurs in the birthplace of Jesus depend on tourism at Christmas. Why the guests come, but hardly spend any money.
“I’ve been doing this job for 14 years, but I’ve never seen a day like this,” says Ahmed as he weaves his car through the heavy Bethlehem traffic. “I didn’t have a single customer today. That’s not normal just before Christmas.”
Christmas is in Bethlehem the high point of the year. All of the approximately 30,000 residents in the birthplace of Jesus depend on tourism: some directly, many indirectly. The fewer visitors come, the less tax revenue the city has for necessary investments. That’s why everyone is nervous at Christmas: will there be enough guests in town this time?
Bethlehem: The Deal of the Birth of Jesus Christ
Everything in Bethlehem’s cityscape is officially marked by Jesus Christ: This is where the Messiah is said to have been born, according to records. The Church of the Nativity commemorates this today. Visitors who visit Bethlehem simply for the beauty of its woodcarvings, good desserts, and tasty meat are reminded at every turn that this is a religious place.
Shops are called “Holy Mary” and “Saint Joseph”, streets are named after popes and saints, even the Muslim corn seller, who shovels his boiled corn kernels into paper cups for an afternoon snack, calls his goods “Holy Corn”.
In truth they are Christians in Bethlehem but now a minority. Around ten percent of the inhabitants profess Christianity, the rest are Muslims. But they also earn money from Christian pilgrimage tourism from all over the world – especially too Christmas.
Corona: With the pandemic, the tourists stayed away
As the Pandemic began, the most important source of money for the Bethlehem families collapsed. Air traffic came to a standstill, and Christians from all over the world stayed away from Bethlehem. Hotels closed, tourist guides sat at home, merchants could not get rid of their goods. Since then, the city has not recovered from the burglary.
Unlike in many European countries, the entrepreneurs did not receive any compensation payments from the state. the Palestinian Authority has no money to pay compensation for the loss of sales of the many hotels, restaurants, tourist guides and souvenir sellers.
This Christmas, many hoped, would bring a little relief for the first time in order to be able to reduce the debt of the past few years. At least for those entrepreneurs who have not since gone bankrupt or relocated.
The offer: nativity scenes, cross made of olive wood, honey candles
“The whole world felt the effects of Covid, but here in Bethlehem we felt it especially because the city is 100 percent dependent on tourism,” says Sami Hawash, a Bethlehem doctor who, in retirement, wanted to supplement his money by selling souvenirs.
It worked quite well until the pandemic. He sold hand-carved nativity scenes and crosses made from olive wood, fragrant honey wax candles, and pretty pendants and brooches to pilgrims and tourists.
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Later he also included children’s toys in the range – for the Christian families in Bethlehem who were looking for Christmas presents. Then came Covid, Hawash stopped selling. For almost three years, “all of my retirement money has gone into the fixed costs of the business,” he says. The 69-year-old can’t afford to just shut up. “I had made a bulk purchase just before the pandemic. I still have to pay him off,” he says. He also took over the shop from his deceased brother and continues to run it for his sake.
The Ukraine war is also bad for the Christmas business in Bethlehem
At the beginning of the Advent season, all the media reported that the guests were returning to Bethlehem. Hawash doesn’t even notice it yet. “The tourists come, but they don’t spend any money,” he says. “The fact that there is a war in Ukraine and that the economy is not doing so well around the world cannot be ignored.
People only come to pray – not to shop.” At the same time, the cost of grain, gas and petrol has also risen sharply in Palestine. How does he feed the family today? “Luckily, my kids have found jobs and are supporting themselves,” says Hawash. Here in Palestine? Hawash laughs. “No, in the Gulf States and in Saudi Arabia,” he says.
Ukraine Crisis – The most important news about the war
The mayor of Bethlehem is nevertheless confident
The Mayor of Bethlehem, Hanna Hanania, is confident for this year. “With God’s help, this year we will go back to where we were before the coronavirus,” he says. “Recovery has already begun.”
But there is no talk of a return to earlier days. Only occasionally meander groups of pilgrims through the streets of Bethlehem. “Three years ago we were fully booked at this time, now we’re half empty,” complains a hotelier who doesn’t want to give his name. “Tourists usually come here from Jerusalem for just one afternoon and then drive back,” says the manager.
Missiles and terror: Violence in the West Bank has increased again
It may also play a role that violence in the West Bank has increased again in recent months. Although Bethlehem has been less affected and it is safe for tourists to travel to the city, reports of violent riots in Israel and the autonomous Palestinian territories still cause uncertainty.
Does he worry about the future? Souvenir seller Hawash has seen too much in his life to worry. “When it rains in Zimbabwe, we feel it here,” he says, laughing. “We’re in the Middle East, it’s always ups and downs there. That’s the way it is.”
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