Geography of Tourism in Jericho and the Dead Sea

Jericho and the Dead Sea are considered a unique tourist attraction area not only in Palestine but in the world as a whole. The area has Special geographical characteristic; it is the minerals in of great medical value, in addition to the safe and early spring swimming. Archeologists proved that Jericho is the oldest inhabited city in the world, therefore, its relics reveal its long history together with the traces of all civilizations inhabited the city. The richness in tourist attractions is in the area of study attracted tourists from all of the world. The prevailing political conditions in the region affected positively and negatively the in blow of tourists to the region as a whole and to the study area in Particular. After the Israeli occupation in 1967, tourism facilities and services dropped sharply thus the number of tourists dropped accordingly. After the Israeli - Palestinian Peace talks, the area is witnessing an increase in the number of tourists. The increase in the number of tourists increased the demand on tourism facilitates, utilities and services. Such two ways positive interrelationship is manifested by the increase in the total number of hotels, the Casino, the village resorts.... etc. This study analyzed the characteristics of tourism activities in the area of study, existing tourism services and the socioeconomic characteristics of the employees in the tourisn1 sector- the results of the final analysis will be of great benefit to the planners and investors from the public and private sectors. The study examined the existing problems facing tourism industry in the study area hoping that policy makes, investors and planners will try to solve it. The study also showed that cultural tourism is the prevailing norm. It is clear that the historical motives constituted the highest percentage of the sample, it reached 32.3% followed by the religious motive which constituted 30.8% of the san1ple. The economic effects of tourism in the study area were clear in the form of increased personal income, increased employment opportunities, strengthening other related economic activities. It also affected social, political and environmental aspects of the study area. The obstacles facing tourism development in the study area were explored, aiming at highlighting the needed activities by the public and private sectors to improve tourism.