CBNNews.com - Approximately 65,000 tourists are expected to visit Bethlehem this Christmas season.
One of the main attractions besides being the birthplace of our Lord Jesus is a four-story Christmas tree.
Click on the media player for a Newswatch clip on the site.
Locals lit the tree during a ceremony held in Manger Square, which faces the Church of the Nativity.
Tourists can also stroll through streets under tinsel and lights shaped like bells.
This year, Bethlehem is expected to host the largest amount of tourists in seven years.
The trend reflects an overall increase of tourism to the holy town.
From January to October of this year, 340,000 tourists visited Bethlehem from Israel. Israel's Tourism Ministry reports that this dwarfs last year's tally, which registered 200,000 making the trip to the Christ's birthplace.
In all, 2.3 million tourists are expected to visit Israel this year, which is second only to 2000, when 2.7 traveled to the Holy Land.
Oringial Source