Bethlehem sees Christmas tourism boost after two-year Covid hiatus

Tens of thousands of visitors are expected to gather in Bethlehem for a Christmas procession, after the town's economy was badly hit by lockdowns.

Two years of muted celebrations have given way to bustling streets, but numbers have not matched 2019's record.

Palestinian Christians and pilgrims will later attend midnight Mass at the 4th-Century Nativity Church.

Although numbers are still lower than the record level seen in 2019, the streets are bustling and just as in the Nativity story, there is not a room to be found, with local hotels fully booked.

[Source: BBC]