Walled Off Hotel
Hotel in Bethlehem offers 'worst view in the world' with rooms facing grey concrete
Secretive British street artist Banksy has opened a hotel next to Israel's separation wall in Bethlehem, his latest artwork in the Palestinian territories. The Walled Off Hotel is only four metres from the wall which cuts through the occupied West Bank and all the rooms face it. "It has the worst view of any hotel in the world," Banksy said in a statement. The artist himself was not in attendance, though dozens of his new works adorn the walls. The Banksy statement said the hotel "offers a warm welcome to people from all sides of the conflict and across the world". Tourism companies have long complained that the wall and Israel's occupation have crippled the tourist industry in Bethlehem, considered the birthplace of Jesus. "Since 2008, we didn't have many tourists coming into Bethlehem, but there were more Banksy tourists coming than any other type of tourists," Salsah told Al Jazeera. "Actually, there were more Banksy tourists coming to Bethlehem than Nativity Church tourists.