Bethlehem, Dec 24 (AP) Thousands of Christian pilgrims on Tuesday flocked to the West Bank town of Bethlehem, celebrating Christmas Eve in the traditional birthplace of Jesus.

Visitors converged on the town's large Christmas tree in Manger Square, near the spot believed to mark Jesus' birthplace. Uniformed Palestinian scouts wearing yellow and gold capes paraded past assembled visitors, the sound of drums and bagpipes filling the cool, clear air. Vendors hawked snacks and holiday gifts, adding to the festive atmosphere.

Roger Hoagland, a Christian educator and missionary from Louisville, Kentucky, said he had come to lead a Baptist choir for a fourth time and described his visit as the experience of a lifetime.

“We love this opportunity,” he said. "We have 40 people and many of them are from the US and other countries. They come to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ.”

While Bethlehem is in the Palestinian-administered area of the Israeli-occupied West Bank, Israel's imposing separation barrier encloses parts of the city and is a constant reminder of the complex political reality. Most of the Christmas Eve visitors appeared to be local residents, with foreign pilgrims seeming to make up a modest portion of the crowd.

Still, the celebrations capped the most successful year in history for Palestinian tourism, according to Tourism Minister Rula Maayah.

Bethlehem — located just outside of Jerusalem — has invested heavily in tourism. It's built new hotels and tried to diversify itself by offering culinary and cultural destinations in addition to its traditional holy sites.

Maayah estimated that some 15,000 pilgrims were staying overnight in Bethlehem's fully booked hotels this Christmas. Tourists were also staying in other West Bank towns, such as Ramallah and Jericho, in addition to Jerusalem.

In all, she said the number of foreign tourists visiting the West Bank this year is estimated to reach 3.5 million people, up from 3 million last year.

Christmas festivities are typically a boost for Bethlehem's flagging economy and for the Holy Land's dwindling Christian population, which has shrunk over the decades as people fled conflict and searched for better opportunities abroad.

“Our message this year is that Christmas is a message of joy," Maayah said. "But of course we are celebrating Christmas while we are still under occupation. We hope that we will celebrate Christmas joyfully next year with the end of occupation so that we could celebrate like all other nations in our independent country without occupation.”

The Church of the Nativity, where Christians believe Jesus was born, was set to host Palestinian dignitaries and pilgrims from around the world for a midnight Mass. Archbishop Pierbattista Pizzaballa, the head Catholic cleric in the Holy Land, had crossed an Israeli army checkpoint from Jerusalem to Bethlehem, where he was greeted by prominent members of Bethlehem's Christian community. Pizzaballa was to celebrate midnight Mass at the Church of the Nativity, which houses the grotto revered as Jesus' birthplace.

Pizzaballa said that he draws hope from the “desire, especially in the youth, to do something for their societies, families.” “This is my hope, is that these people can make Christmas not just today, but everyday, because that's what we need,” he said. (AP)

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