Richard Gere is to promote Israel and the Palestinian territories as a tourist destination.

'The hotels in Israel are full, and that signals an era of peace and hope,' said the actor after meeting Israeli tourism minister Abraham Hirshson in Jerusalem.

The move coincides with a call from Monsignor Pietro Sambi, the Vatican's ambassador to Israel, for people to resume visits to the Holy Land. Pilgrimages there were important to the late Pope John Paul II, he said.

There was a rush of inquiries about flights to Rome last week as pilgrims flocked to the Pope's funeral. The website cheapflights.co.uk said Rome had moved into its top five destinations from its usual position in the lower end of the top 20. 'I have never known any event to have such an effect on inquiries,' said chief executive David Soskin.