Israeli, West Bank tourism hit by Gaza offensive

The ongoing violence between Hamas in Gaza Strip and Israel is starting to cost the Israeli tourist business

With fighting in the Gaza Strip entering its fifth day and Palestinian rockets landing deeper intoIsraelthan ever before, travelers who had hoped to visit the holy land are starting to think twice.
A number ofhotelsinIsrael, along with flagship carrier El Al, have already seen some cancellations and believe the number will grow if the violence rages into a second week.
"There are minimum cancellations at this moment, but obviously it is an evolving situation," said a source in the Tourism Ministry, which has yet to offer official statistics.
Israel unleashed an intensive air campaign against the Gaza Strip on Wednesday with the stated intention of stemming Islamist-militant rocket fire out of the coastal enclave.
Since the start of the conflagration, hundreds of missiles have been launched into Israel, with several speeding towards the commercial hub of Tel Aviv, which had previously been out of range from Gazan militants.
Air raid sirens even sounded in Jerusalem on Friday for the first time in decades before a rocket landed nearby, in the occupied West Bank.
Three Israelis were killed by a direct hit on their apartment building in a small southern town on Thursday, but none of the longer-ranged salvoes struck populated areas or caused any injuries. However, the threat alone is taking a toll.
A spokeswoman for Fattal, Israel's biggest hotel chain, said a few bookings have already been canceled. "We see the start of a trend, but only in a few days will we be able to see where the overall trend is headed," she said, declining to give numbers.
Likewise, Jerusalem's American Colony hotel reported that some clients had pulled out of visits at the last minute.
STAYING HOME
An El Al spokeswoman said there have been a few cancellations "here and there" though nothing significant, while Delta and US Airways said some families of Israelis called up by the army had decided to stay home.
The slowdown was not limited to Israel. The Palestinian West Bank city of Bethlehem, where the Church of the Nativity attracts Christian pilgrims from around the world, had lost nearly half its reservations due to the Gaza violence.
"I think that the percentage of the cancellations has reached 40 to 50 per cent until the end of November and for the next month," said Elias al Arja, head of the Arab Association forhotelsin the city.
Four cruise ships carrying 6,000 tourists chose not to dock in Israel due to the security situation, Israel Radio reported on Sunday. Some foreignairlineshave decided to ferry their crews abroad rather than have them pass their overnight stays locally, Israel's Haaretz newspaper said.
The commercial skies have also been impacted.
Flight patterns for flights to and from Tel Aviv's Ben-Gurion International Airport have been shifted north and east to free up air space for Israel's air force operating in Gaza, said one official in the aviation industry.
Before the start of the Gaza campaign, Israel had been enjoying a record year for tourists, with 2.6 million visitors entering the country in the first nine months of the year -- a new high and seven per cent more than the same period last year.