The Director General of the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities in Jericho and the Jordan Valley, Iyad Hamdan, confirmed that there is a noticeable and increasing demand for the tourism sector in Jericho, and Jericho began to gradually recover from the effects of the Israeli occupation’s siege on it, two weeks after the siege was lifted.

Hamdan told Al-Quds.com: "Jericho began to recover gradually, since the tenth of this month, when it was noticed that there was a demand for tourism facilities in Jericho, especially inbound tourism, and from local tourism from the people of the interior and the people of the West Bank."

Hamdan continued, "We noticed a high demand for restaurants, hotels, and resorts, especially since these days witnessed a rise in temperatures, and we also noticed a strong movement in tourist places in Ariha on the evening of the weekend."

Hamdan confirmed that Jericho incurred losses of millions of shekels to the tourism sector, during the period of repeated Israeli blockade since the beginning of this year, noting that the two pillars of Jericho’s economy “the tourism and agricultural sectors” incurred great losses, while Hamdan expressed his hope that Jericho would recover better economically until the end of the year. current.

Hamdan pointed out that there is an actual response from the people of the interior and the West Bank, with the need to break the siege on Ariha and visit its tourist facilities. This was noticed after a very short period of lifting the siege, which was lifted on the seventh of this month, and tourist visits began gradually and strongly after only 3 days.

The head of the Chamber of Commerce, Industry and Agriculture of Jericho and the Jordan Valley, Tayseer Al-Hamidi, revealed in a previous interview with Al-Quds that the losses incurred by the agricultural and tourism sectors in Jericho and the Jordan Valley as a result of the Israeli blockade amounted to about 300 million shekels, of which about 220 million shekels were for the tourism sector.

On the 7th of this month, the Israeli occupation forces lifted the siege imposed on Jericho and the Jordan Valley, after 16 days of tightening the checkpoints at its entrances, noting that this is the fourth siege since the beginning of the year.