It's no secret that wartime translates to a halt to a nation's tourism industry. The scene playing out in Israel is one of concern for a country poised to use its tourism branch to help steer better relations with its MIddle Eastern neighbors. Fewer Israelis leaving their homeland as well as a lack of international visitors translates to a Ben Gurion Airport that sadly looks vacated. Israel has transformed into a land where its own citizens have galvanized amongst one another, mending lingering political animosity.
Diaspora Jews have led continuous missions to aid their brothers and sisters during this precarious time. Great Neck activists Dr. Paul and Drora Brody and their son Joey visited the Holy Land earlier this week and captured this lonely snapshot upon arrival at a virtually empty Ben Gurion. El Al has continued providing flights while many international airlines have parked their aircraft following the 10/7 massacre. "Seeing two parked El Al aircraft portrays the paucity of air travel since Israel the war against Hamas began," said Dr. Brody. "The visual is in contradistinction to the multiple El Al flights daily, packed with exuberant volunteers on numerous missions helping our beleaguered Israeli brethren."
On the bright side, Lufthansa has announced that their flights will resume eminently. Emirates Airlines, China’s Hainan Airlines, Romania's Tarom, and Russia’s Azimuth run flights in Israel. Domestically, a $5 billion insurance guarantee secures continued El Al, Arkia, and Israir flights. Plans for United Airlines and Delta are not expected to resume anytime soon; however, JetBlue code-shares with El Al. Calls from Udi Bar-Oz, CEO of Ben Gurion Airport, to individual airlines and 120 international airline reps have been met with static. About 100-200 flights currently take off and land at Ben Gurion, down from its normal 500.
Speaking with travel agents, the term "death tourism" has been thrown around, referencing the ongoing celebrity tours to ravaged kibutzim that builds awareness to the reasons for Israel's need to defeat Hamas once and for all. This travel agent, like his American clients, has become an "arms dealer" of sorts, ensuring that private donations from American Jews reach their intended IDF units.
The ripple effect has affected the wider Middle Eastern region, with Jordan, Lebanon, and Egypt also experiencing similar travel shutdowns amid the neighboring war. While Israel may recover in the years ahead, the same might not be for its neighbors, who rely significantly on tourism to survive and whose countries have not been physically impacted by the war. Seen as a banner year for Middle Eastern tourism in a post-pandemic world, an unprecedented demand has since evaporated, being replaced by Gazan refugees burdening economies with their humanitarian crisis.
By Shabsie Saphirstein