Ramallah and Al-Bireh Governorate accounted for the largest percentage of hotel guests at 36%, followed by Nablus at 28%, Jericho and the Jordan Valley at 15%, and Bethlehem at 14%. Palestinian expatriates residing in the 1948 territories constituted the largest percentage of total guests at about 60%, compared to 28% for local guests, and 12% for other nationalities.
A noticeable decline in the number of day visits
According to data on day visitors issued by the Palestinian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities for the first half of the year 2026, the results showed that approximately 2,119 thousand visits were made by incoming and local visitors (day visitors) to tourist sites in the West Bank during the first half of the year 2026, compared to 2,626 thousand in the first half of the year 2025, with a noticeable decrease of 19%, of which 1,368 thousand visits were made by local Palestinian visitors, and 751 thousand visits were made by visitors from outside Palestine.
An increase in the number of workers in the tourism sector during the second quarter
Data on the workforce for the second quarter of the year 2026 indicated an increase in the number of workers in tourism activities during the second quarter of the year 2026 in the West Bank, compared to the same period in 2025, by 15% compared to the same period, where the number of workers in the tourism sector reached 38.5 thousand workers, which constitutes 6.1% of the total workers in the West Bank during the second quarter of the year 2026.
The number of workers in the tourism sector in the West Bank is distributed according to the employment status into 26.6 thousand workers on a salary (including 25.3 thousand males and 1.3 thousand females), 8 thousand self-employed workers (including 7.1 thousand males and 0.9 thousand females), 3.3 thousand employers (including 3.1 thousand males and 0.2 thousand females), and the remaining 600 workers are unpaid family members.
Estimates indicated that the systematic destruction of the Israeli aggression on the Gaza Strip caused the destruction of all tourist establishments in full, where approximately 4,992 establishments operating in the tourism activity were destroyed, including 3,450 establishments in the restaurant and beverage service activity (which constitute 69.1% of the tourist establishments in the Gaza Strip), 921 establishments in creative activities, arts and other entertainment activities (18.4% of the tourist establishments in the Gaza Strip), 182 establishments in the manufacture and sale of handicrafts and souvenir products, and 173 establishments in hotel and accommodation activities and similar establishments.
The Israeli aggression also caused the loss of jobs for 15,265 workers in the tourism activity, including 10,887 workers in restaurant and beverage service activities (which constitute 71.3% of workers in tourism activities in the Gaza Strip), 2,277 workers in creative activities, arts and other entertainment activities (which constitute 14.9% of workers in tourism activities in the Gaza Strip), and 964 workers in hotel and accommodation activities and similar establishments.
