The Israel Ministry of Tourism officially announced the upcoming itinerary for Pope Benedict's trip to the Holy Land. The Papal delegation with is to include 40 representatives from the Vatican and approximately 70 representatives of th foreign media, will arrive on May 11th. The Pope will meet with the Mayor of Jerusalem, Nir Barakat, local leaders, President Shimon Peres as well as the Council of Religious Community Leaders in Israel (the Chief Rabbis, the President of the Moslem Religious Court of Appeals, Christian religious leaders and the heads of the Druze Community). The Pope will also meet with leaders of the Palestinian Authority Mohammed Abbas during his visit to Bethlehem on May 13, 2009. The official itinerary is posted below: •

May 11, 2009 - Pope to arrive in Israel; official ceremony with President Shimon Peres and visit to Yad Vashem Martyrs' and Heroes' Memorial of the Holocaust. Pope Bernedct XVI will also meet with the Council of Religious Commuity Leaders in Israel. In the evening there will be an Interfaith Dialogue meeting at Notre Dame Center.•

May 12th, 2009 - Visit to the Temple Mount and meeting with the Grand Mufti. He will also visit the Western Wall, Mt. Zion and the Cenacle (the Site of the Last Supper), Heichal Shlomo Synagogue (the Great Synagague) as well as a visit to Gethsemane Church. A mass will be held at the Kidron Valley. •

May 13th - Visit to Bethlehem and meeting with Palestinian Authority Leader Mohammed Abbas. A mass at Mangar Square, outside the Church of the Nativity, will be held. •

ay 14th - Visit to Nazareth and meeting with local leaders. A Holy Mass in Nazareth at the Mount of Precipace overlooking the Jezreel Valley will be held. A prayer at the Church of the Annunciation is also planned as well as a meeting with local religious leaders in the Galilee. •

May 15th - Meetings with local religious leaders at local Churches in Jerusalem. A farewell ceremony at Ben Gurion International Airport will be held. Pope Benedict XVI will return to Rome on a special EL AL flight at the conclusion of the ceremony. If you wish to plan a tour following in the footsteps of this memorable Papal visit, please let us know. We have arranged special priced tours for groups of 15 people or more.

There is clearly one very special place to celebrate Christmas and that's here in the Holy Land. Should you be fortunate to be spending Christmas in this region, you will likely want to attend one of the very many special masses and other Christmas festivities planned during this holiday season.

Below is the schedule of major Christmas Events happening in Bethlehem this year!

Book Now - Special  Christmas Tour: 4 Day/3 Nights or 5 Day/4 Nights

2009

DECEMBER 24 (Thursday)

1.00 pm at the Tomb of Rachel:
His Beatitude, the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, Fouad Twall, is welcomed by,
Latin Parish Priest of Bethlehem and representatives of Bethlehem, Beit Jala and
Beit Sahour.
1.30 pm at the Manger Square:
Solemn Entry of His Beatitude into the Basilica of the Nativity and
St. Catherine Church followed by Pontifical Vespers.
4.00 pm at St. Catherine Church:
Daily Procession to the Nativity Grotto.
10.00 pm at St. Catherine Church:
is opened. Tickets, free of charge, required.
11.10 pm at St. Catherine Church:
Solemn "Office of Readings".

DECEMBER 25 (Friday)

Midnight: at St. Catherine Church:
Pontifical Eucharistic Concelebration.
Midnight: at the Grotto:
Low Masses till 5.15 pm with interruption at 1.30 am
for one hour approximately, and at 5.30 am till 7.00 am approximately.
1.30 am at St. Catherine Church:
Solemn traditional Procession to the Grotto.
10.00 am at St. Catherine Church:
Chanting of Terce and Pontifical Mass.
2.00 pm Pilgrimage to the Orthodox Grotto:
of the Shepherds and the Latin Chapel of Shepherds' Field.

DECEMBER 26 (Saturday)

10.00 am at St. Catherine Church: Mass.

DECEMBER 27 (Sunday)

5.15 pm at St. Catherine Church:
Procession to the Grotto of the Holy Innocents and Sung Vespers.

DECEMBER 28 (Monday, Feast of the Holy Innocents)

6.30 am at St. Catherine:
Masses at 6.30, 7.30 am, 9.00 am, 11.00 am and 4.30 pm.
10.00 am in the Grotto of the Holy Innocents Sung Mass
3.00 pm in the Grotto of the Holy Innocents: Vespers

DECEMBER 31 (Thursday)

4.30 pm at St. Catherine Church:
Mass and Benediction with the Holy Sacrament.

2010

JANUARY 1 (Friday)

10.00 am at St. Catherine Church:
Low Masses followed by Procession to the Milk Grotto.
4.30 pm at St. Catherine Church: Mass.

JANUARY 4 (Monday)

6.30 am at St. Catherine:
Masses at 6.30, 7.30 am, 9.00 am, 11.00 am.
3:00 pm at the Latin Chapel of Shepherds' Field:
High Mass

JANUARY 5 (Tuesday)

11.00 am at the Tomb of Rachel:
His Paternity the Custos of the Holy Land is welcomed by Latin Parish Priest
and other representatives of Bethlehem.
11.30 am at the Manger Square:
Solemn Entry of his Paternity the Custos of the Holy Land into the
Basilica of the Nativity and St. Catherine Church.
1.30 pm at St. Catherine Church:
Pontifical Vespers and Procession to the Grotto.
3.30 pm at St. Catherine Church:
Procession to the Grotto.

JANUARY 6 (Thursday)

Midnight at the Grotto:
Masses till 9.00 am with an interruption
between 1.00 and 2.00 am approximately.
10.00 am at St. Catherine Church:
Pontifical Eucharistic Concelebration.
3.30 pm at St. Catherine Church:
Sung Vespers and Solemn traditional Procession to the Grotto.

Combining pilgrimage to the Holy Land and athletics, the Pope John Paul II Games later this month will feature a peace run from Bethlehem to Jerusalem and a soccer game with Italian, Israeli and Palestinian players. Two lucky people can win an all expense paid free trip to the Holy Land in order to participate.

The mission of the trip, organized by the Catholic Josper community in Italy, an entity of Pilgrimage organizer Opera Romana Pellegrinaggi, an activity of the Vatican, is to unite people through sports and to encourage dialogue. Star athletes from Italy are expected to join the tour including, from the famous designer Versace family, Giusy Versace, the paralympic athlete who lost both her legs in an accident, and former soccer stars Demetrio Albertini and Damiano Tommasi.

Participants in the Peace Marathon, 2009

Some 500 participants will join the tour from Italy and 100 Haitians will also take part, adding a new international flavor this year. Both Israelis and Palestinians will join the soccer game and the run, as they have in recent years.

According to the website, the JPII Games "evangelizes through the instrument of pilgrimages and promotes values that exalt the dignity of man and his being a creature of God."

The JPII Games, October 21 to 25, are not competitive. This year, the organization is offering a free trip to two people who are inspired "peace builders." The tour allows Christians to participate in a pilgrimage that promotes peace while at the same time allows them to experience their Christian roots in the land where it all began.

Opera Romana Pellegrinaggi and Centro Sportivo Italiano, the Italian Sports Association, brings star athletes and pilgrims from Italy to participate in these athletic events with both Palestinians and Israelis.

The peace run begins at Manger Square, outside the Church of the Nativity, the traditional birthplace of Jesus. A soccer game will take place at the checkpoint in the middle of the 12-kilometer run. The runners then continue together in from the checkpoint to Notre Dame.

Plaza outside Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem; credit Travelujah

Another highlight of the trip will be a visit to the Basilica of the Annunciation in Nazareth and the Mount of Beatitudes.

"In the Holy Land it is likewise hoped that sports, which by their very nature are a vehicle of peace and use a universal language, represent an opportunity for people who normally live with different rhythms and customs to meet and embrace," the sponsoring organization said.

Bishop Narcuzo inside the Church of the Annunciation Nazareth with Chilean miners earlier this year. Photo: Travelujah

In a homily, Pope John Paul II once said: "Sports have spread to every corner of the world, transcending differences between cultures and nations. Because of the global dimensions this activity has assumed, those involved in sports throughout the world have a great responsibility. They are called to make sports an opportunity for meeting and dialogue, over and above every barrier of language, race or culture. Sports, in fact, can make an effective contribution to peaceful understanding between peoples and to establishing the new civilization of love."

To register to win the all expense paid free Holy Land trip visit this link: http://www.jpiigames.com/en/educational.html

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Nicole Jansezian writes for Travelujah, the leading Christian social network focused on connecting Christians to the Holy Land. People can learn, plan and share their Holy Land tour and travel experiences on Travelujah.

Once infamous as a hotbed of hostility and terrorism against Israel, Nablus is now thriving with a mall, a movie theater and the head offices of the Palestinian Securities Exchange. The city is also more recently becoming a tourist destination with key biblical sites like Joseph's Tomb, Jacob's Well and an ancient Samaritan community nearby attracting tourists through the checkpoints from Israel.

With biblical sites, a new cinema and an old city where merchants sell spices, olive oil and the famous cheese sweet knafeh, this Palestinian city is turning out to be a West Bank gem. Just a few years ago, unreachable by foreigners, Nablus' recent economic upturn has opened a new door to tourism. The city was isolated and inaccessible during the intifada as Israeli checkpoints cut off the area from non-Palestinians. Nablus was not alone in this predicament.

Fear of violence and the prospect of crossing military checkpoints kept tourists away from many Palestinian sites in the last decade. While the intifada raged from 2000 to 2005, holy sites in Palestinian areas fell by the wayside in terms of tourism. Even Bethlehem, the birthplace of Jesus, suffered from a drastic drop in visitors as a majority of tourists to the Holy Land avoided the West Bank and stuck to sites within Israel.

"I was a little worried about going back to Bethlehem late last year, but this time, I experienced nothing but friendliness from the people there," said Dan Wooding, the founder and international director of Assist News. "This visit to Bethlehem, was completely different to the one I made back in 2001 with my wife Norma. Then, we were held up by Palestinian gunmen. This last trip to Bethlehem was completely different - I went on my own - and the town was completely peaceful."

Photo Courtesy Dan Wooding: Dan Wooding standing outside the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem

Now, as tourism to Israel is reinvigorated by several years of relative calm, tourism to the Palestinian territories has also picked up. Out of the 3 million tourists that came to Israel, more than half visited Bethlehem last year. In 2009, 1.7 million foreign tourists visited the West Bank. The Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics reported that the number of guests staying in Palestinian hotels tripled since 2006  to over 450,000 people. So far 2010 could outperform last year's record with the year's first two quarters on pace to surpass 2009.

 Main Indicators for Hotel Activities in the West Bank by Month, 2006-2009)

Source: Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics, Travelujah

Since  2006 to 2009, the overall West Bank rooms supply has increased dramatically with  a compound annual growth rate of over 25% while the corresponding number of guest nights rose at  compound annual growth rate of over 40% during the same period. Clearly, should the strong growth continue, demand will soon outstrip supply, and, according to those in the industry, there is already a need for more higher end properties. So far all indicators point to 2010 is being a banner year. , Despite these increasing numbers, many destinations in the Palestinian territories, however, remain a largely untapped market for tourism.

The Middle East Quartet, a diplomatic peace initiative comprised of the United States, Russia, the European Union and the United Nations, has been working to build up the Palestinian economy, and has identified tourism as the sector that can make the quickest impact on the Palestinian economy.

"The tourist assets in the West Bank are unrivaled," said Ian Smith, business adviser to Office of the Quartet Representative Tony Blair. 

In a speech at Conde Nast Traveler World Savers Congress in September, Quartet Representative and former British Prime Minister Tony Blair said tourism is one "huge economic opportunity for the Palestinian people."

The West Bank is ripe, Blair said, for a "major joint marketing campaign" with Israel to promote tourism to the Holy Land.

"Tourism is obviously an area that we believe is under exploited," Smith said. "There are 3 million visitors to Israel and the West Bank in one year and yet 4 million to the London Eye ferris wheel each year."

Smith said that for every dollar spent by tourists in the Holy Land 90 cents goes to Israelis and 10 cents to Palestinians. Visitors spend less time in the West Bank than in Israel and few spend the night.

A panel made up of officials and business people from both Israeli and Palestinian tourism industries, working under the auspices of the Quartet, has been brought together to promote tourism to all parts of the Holy Land as an integrated concept, not exclusively to Israel or Palestine.

"Cooperation allows both Israelis and Palestinians to offer a variety of travel packages designed to reach new, and for the most part, untapped markets," said Elisa Moed CEO of Traveluah, an Israel based Holy Land tour and travel site aimed at Christians interested in visiting the Holy Land.  "If the increasing numbers on tourism were the same anywhere else in the world, the industry would be on fire. But here it is not - yet."

Photo courtesy Travelujah: Elisa Moed inside the Nablus Souk

This concept of working together on the ground level complements the peace process, said Tim Williams, movement and access adviser for the Quartet.

"Israel and the West Bank are a single unit when it comes to tourism," Williams said. "It can be sold as a single entity, which means you can increase size of the tourism market. And increasing the regional market is mutually advantageous."

One goal is to enable tour operators to approach Holy Land tourism cohesively. During the intifada most Israeli tours ended up dropping visits to the West Bank and itineraries featured only the traditional sites in Israel.

With the Quartet's urging in the past two years, additional crossings into Bethlehem for tourists were promised, the northern checkpoint Jalameh has been opened, several West Bank checkpoints and roadblocks have been removed, Israeli tour guides are now allowed into Bethlehem and Jericho, and a route called the Footsteps of Christ is being promoted, starting from Nazareth in Israel, leading south to Jericho and Bethlehem.

Ibrahim Hafi, general director of Palestinian Tourism Services, said the Palestinians are already feeling a positive effect of the changes.  And with better policing in the territories, it is much safer these days.

"You can come and go easily. In the past three years, nothing bad has happened," he said. Five years ago maybe there were some problems. Today, you will notice there is a difference."

Smith maintains that the West Bank has much to offer in terms of tourism.

"It's not just interesting for Christians, but people who want to see a different side of life than Tel Aviv," he said. "In Jericho, you have the Mount of Temptation on one side, the Jordanian skyline on the other. It could've been Moses looking over the Holy Land."

Moed said that Christian tours would benefit from expanding the normal repertoire and adding to their itineraries sites in the West Bank.

"With Christians representing more than 60 percent of tourism arrivals, Christian tourism is the largest and fastest growing segment of tourism to the Holy Land and affords the greatest opportunity for future growth," Moed added. "If Christian tours were to include sites in Jericho, Hebron and Nablus, tours would be more diverse and, offered together in cooperation with Israelis and including sites in Israel these visits would help to not only drive the Palestinian tourism sector, but drive the region as a whole."

SIDEBAR

West Bank Travel is Rich in Biblical Significance

The West Bank is rich with tourism treasures Jericho, the oldest continuously inhabited city in the world, boasts ruins and a Greek Orthodox monastery on the Mount of Temptation, where Jesus fasted for 40 days and was tempted by Satan. A cable car brings people from the lowest city on earth up to the cliffs near the monastery. Nearby on the banks of the Jordan river is Qasr al Yahud, the site where John the Baptist baptized Jesus.

Photo Courtesy Travelujah: Pilgrims entering the Jordan River at Qasr El Yahud

In Nablus is Joseph's Tomb, Jacob's Well and an ancient Samaritan community and its church. Nearby Sebastia is home to ruins from six successive cultures dating back 10,000 years.

Photo courtesy Travelujah - Quarantal Monastary and the Mt. of  Temptation

On the outskirts of Jenin is a church partially built into a cave where Jesus is believed to have healed the 10 lepers. The Cave of the Patriarchs, the burial place of Abraham, Sarah, Isaac, Rebekah, Jacob and Leah, is in Hebron.

Even though tourism is increasing, Israeli and Palestinian industries still lag relative to other countries. Moed is upbeat, however, and believes that the private sector, working together with common goals, "can be a positive vehicle for cooperation, trust, economic development and a model for peace."

Nicole Jansezian writes for Travelujah.com, the only Christian social network focused on travel to the Holy Land. People can learn, plan, book  and share their Holy Land tour and travel experiences on Travelujah.

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Most travelers to Bethlehem and the nearby villages typically visit the Church of the Nativity, the birthplace of Jesus Christ,  and the expanisve Mangar Square outside the Church. Other popular sites include Shepards Fields and Rachel's Tomb. Few though will take the time to experience the nature beyond the city, complete with its olive tree terraces, arid valleys, numerous burial caves, monastaries, fortresses, and the people. This is what the Abraham's Path is all about.

On my outing along the Abraham's Path, I was accompanied by the country coordinator for the Abraham's Path, Mr. Hijazi Eid, a tour guide and avid hiker, whose mission is expose people to this Holy Land landscape and see it through the eyes of our forefathers by walking through a comprehensive 70 kilometer trail system that has been developed inside the territories. The walking trail follows the footsteps of Abraham  and winds along the surrounding hills of Nablus, through the villages of Awarta and Aqraba and traverses the edge of the Jordan valley until Duma. The path moves through an important water spring, Ein Samia to Kefer Malek, Deir Jarir and to the Christian village of Taybeh before ending at the Auja village near Jericho.

Because of time constraints I only walked the portion of the path that is adjacent to Bethlehem, but along my short journey I was treated to expansive landscapes, ancient pools, aqueducts and other antiquities. We began the journey at the Solomon's Pools, consisting of three great reservoirs, each consstructed furing separate periods, where crucial to Jerusalem's water supply. Situated at a higher altitude, the springs in the area are the closest to Jerusalem and they therefore were critical to the great city. Within Jerusalem, there are remnants of the low level aquaduct outside the gates of Jaffa. The length of this channel is about 21 kkilometers while the vertical difference is some 30 meters. We hiked along the trail alongside the pools and you could still see the remnants of several aqueducts that had been constructed to bring the water down to the difficult terrain to the reservoirs. From the trail we could see the remnants of an old fortress (Murad Fortress or Qala'at el burak-Castle of the Pools) and  Khirbet el Khaukh- Peach Hill, the site of Etam and where Shimshon apparently hid. On the summit there is a magnificent view of the area. We passed numerous burial caves as well as the Kherba where Shimshon apparently hid. As we continued our walk we could see into the hidden valley, the village of Urtas. It is possibly the Hotrtus conclusus mentioned in the Cantlicle of the Canticles, known as the Song of Songs.  We ended the walk at a picturesque Italian monastary, known as the Monastary of Our Lady of the Garden, the Virgin Mary.

Approximately 100 people have hiked the path in 2009. For university students and others interested in hiking a six day organized tour of the Abraham's Path, registration is underway. The tour begins on uly 24 and includes visits to historical sites, accommodations at local families along the way, all meals, professional guiding. Email hijeid@yahoo.com for more information. Day tours including hiking parts of the path can be arranged through Travelujah.

Tourism is up in the Holy Land, big time. During 2010, an estimated two million people visited Bethlehem, a record year for the biblical destination. But, like Mary and Joseph so many centuries ago, most of the pilgrims could find no room at the inn.  

Because of the severe lack of hotel rooms - Bethlehem, for instance, has just under 2,000 hotel rooms - very few Christian pilgrims spend the night in Palestinian towns that host some of the Bible's most important landmarks. So, while tourism numbers are up, the Palestinians aren't seeing much increased revenue as most visitors move on to locations in Israel before they have a chance to spend any money.

Jacir Palace Intercontinental Hotel Bethlehem, courtesy Travelujah

The Palestinian Ministry of Tourism & Antiquities is looking to remedy the problem, and provide greater convenience for visitors who may want to spend a bit more time in the town of Jesus' birth, or explore the fascinating biblical town of Jericho, which just celebrated its 10,000th anniversary as an inhabited city.

Figures released by the ministry suggested visitors, especially Eastern Orthodox and Catholic pilgrims, would like to spend more time in these locations, but are simply unable to find adequate accommodations. Overnight stays in Bethlehem and Jericho increased by 51 percent in 2010.  "This growth and raise in visitors demand is being met with a constant increase and upgrade of the tourism infrastructure," reported the Ministry of Tourism. "New hotels, restaurants, and cultural centers, museums and resorts are opening up across the West Bank and East Jerusalem." 

Tel El Sultan, also known as Ancient Jericho, photo courtesy Travelujah

The Palestinians are looking to nearly double the number of hotel rooms in both Bethlehem and Jericho over the next year. The region currently has 5,200 hotel rooms and another 1,500 are in various phases of construction. Recently three new hotels opened including a Movenpick and a  Days Inn in Ramallah - both oriented towards the growing commercial market as well as a Days Inn in Bethlehem, geared toward the tourism sector.  "The overall goal of the industry is to increase the number of rooms to around 10,000 in the next 7-10 years," according to the ministry report.  And the effort is not just about adding hotel rooms.  "Both the public and private sector are investing millions in developing, restoring and upgrading the industry," wrote Dr. Khouloud Daibes, Palestinian Minister of Tourism. "Recreational parks, resorts, restaurants, cultural centres, and new transportation fleets were all among the key investments over the past five years."

Palestinian Minister of Tourism Dr. Khouloud Daibes and Travelujah CEO, Elisa Moed, at the Palestinian Investment Conference in Bethlehem

Daibes also stressed that while Christian pilgrimage will remain the focus of the Palestinian tourism campaign, "we are also developing alternative tourism through creating experiential programs and non-traditional itineraries. ...Biking, hiking, and bird watching activities are only a few of the initiatives underway."  

The improved tourism climate, both for the Palestinian and Israeli tourism industry, has prompted Israel and the Palestinian Authority  to create additional cooperative measures with regard to the tourism sector. And the payoff has been big. In 2010, both destinations enjoyed record tourism growth, and in January 2011, the strong growth continued with tourism up 17% over January 2010 levels. Many of the roadblocks within the Palestinian territories have been removed, Israeli tour guides and bus drivers are being allowed to work inside the Palestinian territories and the heavily used Rachel's Crossing border between Jerusalem and Bethlehem was opened continuously over a one month holiday period this year greatly facilitating visitor access.

Without question, additional cooperative measures are necessary and the region faces many hurdles before tourism can reach its full potential. But what is equally certain is that the Holy Land is a pilgrimage experience unlike anywhere else in the world, and it is encouraging to see local officials as well as the local private sector  taking that seriously and preparing the ground for even more people to come and encounter the Bible.

By Ryan Jones and Elisa Moed  for http://www.travelujah.com, the leading Christian social network focused on Holy land tours. People can learn, plan and share their Holy Land tour and travel experiences on Travelujah.