BETHLEHEM (Ma'an) -- A conference on religious tourism organized by the United Nations World Tourism Organization began Monday in the West Bank city of Bethlehem.

It is the first time UNWTO has chosen Palestine to host the two-day international conference, this year titled "Fostering sustainable socio-economic development for host communities."

The UNWTO invited 200 dignitaries from across the world to take part, of which 100 from 70 nations have confirmed they will attend, the Palestinian minister of tourism Rula Maaya said. Among the attendants, she added, will be more than ten ministers of tourism although Jordan’s minister of tourism will be the only Arab minister present.

Prime Minister Rami Hamdallah inaugurated the conference with Japan’s minister of foreign affairs. Maaya said that the second day of the conference would be dedicated to workshops looking at ways to promote tourism in Palestine, particularly in East Jerusalem and Bethlehem.

A Palestinian police spokesman, Luay Irzeikat, said that 300 police officers would be deployed on the roads used by attendants.

Tourism is hugely important to the Palestinian economy, although it's development has been hindered by the Israeli occupation.In April, the PLO Negotiations Affairs Department said that the Israeli Ministry of Tourism has both claimed and profited from Palestinian sites by blurring territorial lines between Israel and Palestine.The PLO criticized Israeli Ministry of Tourism maps that erase Palestinian presence by using "Judea and Samaria," hindering the ability for tourists to know whether or not they are viewing sites within the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem.Many tourists and religious pilgrims spend time within occupied Palestinian territory however leave under the impression their entire itinerary was based in Israel.

Source: Ma'an News