At Jesus Christ’s birthplace in Bethlehem, an app is born to ease swelling crowds
- The site where Jesus is believed to have been born is enjoying its best season in years, with more tourists expected to visit over Christmas
- To deal with growing crowd numbers to the Church of the Nativity, authorities are planning to release a reservation system
Bethlehem is buzzing, with more tourists expected this Christmas than have visited the Biblical city in years.
Such are the crowds at the church built on the site where Jesus is believed to have been born that the authorities are planning to introduce an advance reservation system through an app.
The app, which will be introduced early next year, is aimed at ensuring a regular flow of tourists at the Church of the Nativity, where at busy times visitors wait hours to see the underground grotto where Christians believe Jesus was born in a manger.
Details of the app, which will be in English to start, are still being worked out.
One priest says it will only apply to tour groups visiting the site in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, but the Palestinian tourism ministry say it will be for everyone.