Corona paralyzes Christian tourism in Jerusalem

Aseel soldier - occupied Jerusalem

Jerusalem is not devoid of tourists from all corners of the world who go to them throughout the year, but the situation has changed these days in light of the panic from the Corona virus that afflicted Christian tourism in the city.

A few days ago, the fortieth fast of the western and eastern Christian communities began, and preparations began to receive tourists, but the Corona virus confused the scene, after the tourists canceled their reservations in hotels east and west of the city.

Firas Al-Amad, the owner of one of the hotels in the city, said that the occupancy rate of the hotel was 78%, but suddenly it fell to 35% with many tourists canceling their reservations, and it is expected that this percentage will drop further in light of the expansion of the circle of countries from which Israel has banned the entry of tourists.

The mayors - whose hotel is a few meters away from the Old City in Jerusalem - added that many Indonesian tourists turned their flights to Egypt after Saudi Arabia stopped entering the pilgrims, and they were supposed to reach Jerusalem through the Taba crossing, which was also closed with the appearance of the first case of the virus in Egypt.

Although the Coptic Christians have not canceled their reservations until the moment, the mayors expected that the losses they would incur due to the cancellation of the March and April reservations would reach about $ 350,000, adding, "We faced many setbacks due to security conditions previously, but this is the first time that it relapses It has Jerusalem hotels because of a global virus. "

Antiques trading
In addition to the affected hotel owners, the Jerusalem merchants specializing in the sale of tourist artifacts come, as the number of shops operating in this field reaches 122 stores in the Old City.

Jawad Abu Omar, president of the Association of Oriental Antiques Dealers, says they wait impatiently this year, adding that he and the rest of the merchants in the Christian Quarter are beginning to feel the scarcity of tourist movement in the old town in recent days.

Regarding the losses that will be incurred by them because of this situation, he said, "Many of us have bought goods for this season and accumulated debts that traders are supposed to pay after the sale, but the result is accumulated goods, debts and a lack of purchasing movement."

The effects of Corona's fear extended to include the main manifestations of celebrations in the city, in the forefront of which are the scouting reviews that are an essential part of the celebration of Easter, as the marches roam the city's streets and antique alleys for a week, and begin with what is known as "Palm Sunday".

The leader of the "Arab Scouts Catholics" group in Jerusalem, George Saade, expects to cancel all mass celebrations in the city, in which 11 Palestinian scouting teams from Jerusalem and the West Bank participated.

He says, "The city is reaching teams from Bethlehem, Beit Jala, Beit Sahour and Al-Zababdeh in Jenin, and from Ramallah and the village of Aboud, and some of these teams are preventing them from reaching Jerusalem now due to the outbreak of the Corona virus in the Bethlehem governorate."

Ebb
And the number of members of the scouting teams that participate in the Easter celebrations is about two thousand people, in addition to them thousands of tourists and Christians who roam the streets of the city in Palm Sunday.

This march starts from the Mount of Olives to the Church of “Saint Ann” within the walls of the Old City, then the scouting teams begin to play around the historic wall of Jerusalem, starting from the door of the tribes through the doors of the watchful and the pillar and ending with the New Gate, which is an annual protocol extending for decades that thousands of Christians participate in. Palestinians and tourists.

On the possibility of canceling these rituals, His Excellency commented, "Canceling the scout rallies means canceling the joy of the holy feast of the Christians."

As for the Secretary General of the “Latin Patriarchate” in Jerusalem, Father Ibrahim Al-Shomali, he says, “Jerusalem is the most important Christian place on the face of the earth, because it is the place of death and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ, and it is the primary reference for our Christian faith,” according to the Christian belief.

And he added, "The cancellation is not limited to tourism offices and hotels. We in the Latin Patriarchate have many visitors throughout the year, for various reasons. Now all of these canceled their visit to us, and if the situation remains as it is, the clergy and churches will not endanger people's lives." Whether residents or pilgrims visiting the city and the Church of the Holy Sepulcher specifically. "

Al-Shomali hoped that the Corona virus crisis would end with the celebration of Easter "so that everyone can celebrate it naturally."