غسان عمر

TOURISM ACTIVITY IN THE SOUTH OF WEST BANK/PALESTINE (AN ANALYTICAL STUDY) By Gassan kasem Rasheed Omar Supervisor D. Ahmed Ali Khashman. ABSTRACT This study aims to analyze tourism activity in the southern West Bank (Jerusalem, Bethlehem, Hebron and Jericho), and explores, as well, tourist attraction in the area. It aims to highlight the emportance of both natural and human potentials available as tourist attractions that contribute to achieve economic benfits. Moreover this study attempts to identify tourists charactaerstics in respect of their arrival, their socio-economic and demographic characterstics, in addition to addressing the problems they have faced during their visit to the area with aview to providing the most appropriate solutions. The aim of this study also to shed light on the reality of tourism ifrastracture and services provided in the area, attempting to gouge their ability to meet the demands needs of the tourist market currently and in the future, and tourists satisfaction toward them.It also defints the problems that citzen usually face because of tourists activities trying to provide sutable solutions. To achieve the above objectives two different kinds of questionnaires were distributed. The first was directed to tourists to answer questions related to nationality, age, educational level, purpose of visit, sources of information, and the level of satisfaction of their visit. While the second questionnaire was distributed to citizens in the study area in order to measure their level of involvement in tourist, their evaluation of the standards of problems they suffer. Data were analyzed by using the statistical package (SPSS) to produce the ratios, means and cross tabulation, Chi square were also used. The study concludes that the dominant tourism group visiting the area were of European nationalities while the Americans ranked second. The area of sothern West Bank witnesses active religious tourism, as the most dominant type of tourism where religious factors onsititute principle motivation for visit reachire apercentage of 55.9% for all tourism groups.The study shown that the age of tourism groups ranges from 40 and below69%. Tourists get information about the study from avariety of sources, namely: friends, relatives,internetand religious resources. The study also explain obstacles facing tourists in the fields of security, cleanness and lack of illustrative tourist guidelines.citizens as concluded in the study, encourage tourism in the area directing their children to complete their study and work in the field of tourism. As aresult of the tourism activity,citizens face problems with reg and the rise in the prices of foods and drinks in addition to increasing pressure on services. Finaly the study recommends utiling the natural, historical, more attention shoud paid by the all kind of media in promoting tourism. and human potentioals of earea, and make who have money work at tourism levl, and give also study the tourism services and what they want, making available planning and effect to ecrese the tourists on the encome, finaly to develop and encrese such as university.