Boom in Holy Land Pilgrims. A few days ago the Brazilian Arau Ladislao landed at Ben Gurion airport. Nothing unusual in that, except according to official statistics, he happened to be the three …More
Boom in Holy Land Pilgrims.
A few days ago the Brazilian Arau Ladislao landed at Ben Gurion airport. Nothing unusual in that, except according to official statistics, he happened to be the three millionth visitor to the state of Israel this year. This year has seen a boom in pilgrims to the Holy Land and the numbers speak for themselves: three million people have come to the second center of Christianity from January to mid November, surpassing the total numbers for the entire previous year.
Among the visiting nationalities, Americans form the largest group: 500,000 and a proportion consistent with international trends. In second place is Russia with 400,000 - 15% of the total. They are followed by France with 260,000, Britain with 170,000 and Germany with 146,711 visitors - 4% higher compared to 2009. Italy follows close behind: its pilgrims love nothing more than the Christmas season, but already 121,000 tourists have visited so far this year.
(Male voice) "Overall, there is a positive trend of growth even with respect to 2000, the Jubilee Year, which has always been considered a record year for tourism to Israel and the holy sites."
Christians of course make up the largest numbers of visitors (54% from all denominations); 39% are Jewish and the remaining 7% are not identified with any religion or religious movement. However, signs are that the places where Jesus lived attract visitors regardless of their beliefs. And more than half are returning for the second time. Among the most visited places, Jerusalem comes first with 74% of visitors, 39% of pilgrims visit Galilee, a figure that shows more individuals than groups. The most visited sites were: The Western Wall or Wailing Wall (74%), the Jewish Quarter of Jerusalem (66%), The Mount of Olives (54%), the Basilica of the Holy Sepulchre (53%) and the Via Dolorosa (51%). Hopes are high for a Christmas record, especially in the holy places.
A few days ago the Brazilian Arau Ladislao landed at Ben Gurion airport. Nothing unusual in that, except according to official statistics, he happened to be the three millionth visitor to the state of Israel this year. This year has seen a boom in pilgrims to the Holy Land and the numbers speak for themselves: three million people have come to the second center of Christianity from January to mid November, surpassing the total numbers for the entire previous year.
Among the visiting nationalities, Americans form the largest group: 500,000 and a proportion consistent with international trends. In second place is Russia with 400,000 - 15% of the total. They are followed by France with 260,000, Britain with 170,000 and Germany with 146,711 visitors - 4% higher compared to 2009. Italy follows close behind: its pilgrims love nothing more than the Christmas season, but already 121,000 tourists have visited so far this year.
(Male voice) "Overall, there is a positive trend of growth even with respect to 2000, the Jubilee Year, which has always been considered a record year for tourism to Israel and the holy sites."
Christians of course make up the largest numbers of visitors (54% from all denominations); 39% are Jewish and the remaining 7% are not identified with any religion or religious movement. However, signs are that the places where Jesus lived attract visitors regardless of their beliefs. And more than half are returning for the second time. Among the most visited places, Jerusalem comes first with 74% of visitors, 39% of pilgrims visit Galilee, a figure that shows more individuals than groups. The most visited sites were: The Western Wall or Wailing Wall (74%), the Jewish Quarter of Jerusalem (66%), The Mount of Olives (54%), the Basilica of the Holy Sepulchre (53%) and the Via Dolorosa (51%). Hopes are high for a Christmas record, especially in the holy places.