Israel’s new government says it will invest in developing the West Bank – including its tourism sector – calling the disputed territory “our local Tuscany.” The initiative comes as the middle eastern nation prepares to celebrate its 75th anniversary of statehood on May 14, and Canadian visitor numbers continue to recover from the pandemic travel pause.
Israel’s commitment to deepening its control of the West Bank, however, has threatened to put it on a collision course with some of its closest allies, which support Palestinian claims for the region.
Israel captured the West Bank in the 1967 Mideast war and has built dozens of settlements that are now home to roughly 500,000 Israelis. The Palestinians consider the area part of a future independent state and maintain the settlements are illegal.
However, at a ceremony early this week tourism minister Haim Katz said he would channel resources to promote tourism in the West Bank.
“We will invest in areas that may not have received sufficient support to date – for example, our local Tuscany in Judea and Samaria,” he said, using the biblical term for the West Bank favoured by religious and right-wing Israelis.
Airbnb in 2018 said it would bar listings in the Israeli settlements, but it quickly backed down under heavy Israeli pressure. Last year, Booking.com said it was adding warnings to its listings there.
The West Bank settler community has developed a small tourism sector that includes hotels, bed and breakfasts and wineries. Israel considers these industries to be part of the country’s broader tourism sector, while international human rights groups have said they deepen control of the occupied territory.
Canada
In Canada, the Israel Ministry of Tourism reported finishing 2022 with strong momentum and over 60,000 tourists from this country who arrived in Israel (60% of 2019 numbers), including an 81% jump in November plus high demand for 2023 and 2024.
“The travel industry challenges are diverse, and as such, we need a broader perspective as we enter 2023,” said Gal Hana, Israel Consul for Tourism to Canada, who listed “successes” for the tourist board last year that included multiple FAM and media trips to Israel; activation of a significant marketing and PR campaign with TravelBrands; other marketing agreements with key stake holders including Indus Travel and Dan Tours; and a first-ever collaboration with Tourism Dubai, along with additional partnerships with Portugal and Greece tourism boards.
The overall result of the executions was an increased travel-trade awareness and expanded distribution channels with more agents selling Israel more than ever before, said Hana, adding, “We were very busy and executed much of our work plan and strategy, despite the rough first quarter of 2022.”
In 2023, Israel will celebrate its 75th anniversary, creating high-than-usual demand to visit the country with the added events that will take place across the country throughout the year, Hana noted.
Hana said the tourist board will leverage that momentum with consumer and trade promotional campaigns, plus more FAM trips.
“One of our goals,” he added, “is the universal removal of the phrase and disposition noting Israel simply as a ‘Bucket List Destination,’ used by persons looking for any excuse not to consider Israel as their destination of choice, and replace that term with ‘I’m Going Now,’ noting to all that Israel is the best all-encompassing value proposition place to go in 2023.”