Travel Weekly editor at large Nadine Godwin recently provided
on-site reports from Israel, reports that appeared here Sept. 7, 10
and 11. The story below is a followup to those articles.
JERUSALEM -- In the wake of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks on
the U.S., the border between Israel and Jordan was temporarily
closed, briefly cutting off opportunities for tourists to travel
between the countries.
As a result, some client itineraries were modified. For example,
I had encountered a 39-person group from Kansas City on Sept. 9 at
Qumran and again, on Sept. 10 in Jerusalem.
The church group, led by Rev. Robert Collins, was delayed by one
day in crossing into Jordan.
According to TTI Travel, the Wheeling, Ill.-based operator, the
group was to cross on Sept. 12 for a return to the U.S. from Amman,
Jordan, the following day.
However, the travelers could not cross until Sept. 13, and,
because air service was grounded in the U.S., had to wait in Jordan
for new bookings to get home. They got as far as Chicago on Sept.
17 and continued home the next day.
TTI Travel said it had another group in the area on a similar
itinerary that, similarly, waited in Jordan to return home.
Other travel options continue to be available or were restored
after the short interruption:
• With the reopening of the Israel-Jordan border, tours from
Eilat in Israel's south to Petra in Jordan resumed.
• Tourists visiting Eilat can cross into Egypt as in the
past.
• According to Tsion Ben-David, director of North American
operations for the Israel Ministry of Tourism, clients can still
visit Bethlehem, which is in territory controled by the Palestinian
Authority.
For these crossings, into Jordan or into the
Palestinian-controlled territories, tourists -- whether traveling
independently or in groups -- leave Israeli guides and drivers
behind and pick up new guides and transportation at the crossing
point. The process works in reverse when entering or returning to
Israeli territory.
For Bethlehem trips, visitors are not limited to guided or group
travel. Individuals can cross in Palestinian taxis, which can be
arranged by guides or concierges.
Meanwhile, other security practices in Jerusalem have been in
effect for some time. In particular, visitors pass through security
checkpoints to approach the Wailing Wall, alternately known as the
Western Wall.
This security perimeter also encompasses the Ophel
Archaeological Garden, the site of a 1970s dig along the Temple
Mount's Southern Wall and a part of the Western Wall. As a result
of the excavations, visitors can walk on pavement, well below
today's steet levels, that dates from the time of Christ. The new
Davidson Center museum, which offers virtual views of ancient
Jerusalem, is part of this attraction.
Also enclosed in the same security area is the entry to the
Kotel Tunnel. The tunnel, produced by excavations, allows visitors
to walk along the portion of the Temple Mount's Western Wall that
had been buried over the centuries.
The tunnel exits at the beginning of the Via Dolorosa in the
Muslim Quarter. Armed guards sit at the exit, and they escort
exiting tourists into another section of tunnel for their return to
the tour's starting point.
My guide explained that this precaution has been necessary ever
since the site was opened several years ago because Arabs objected
to the use of a tunnel that opens into their neighborhood.
Eilat, overlooked by Americans, tries to attract niche
travelers
EILAT -- Americans are not frequent visitors at this city on the
shores of the Red Sea.
It provides a beach playground for plenty of Europeans, many of
whom come by charter for a week at a time, but Americans are more
likely to drop in briefly as part of a longer program of
sightseeing elsewhere.
Rina Maor, director, Eilat & Negev Region, Israel Ministry
of Tourism, said that in a normal year, about 30,000 Americans come
to Israel's far south, out of 1.5 million total to Eilat, or a very
modest 2%.
In other words, she said, "not enough" Americans come to Eilat,
where numerous hotels meet American standards. She said, "This is a
European-modern city in a European-modern country."
Eilat would be a long distance to travel for beaches only, but
there are other options, including day trips to Petra in Jordan,
traveling via Aqaba, the Jordanian city that virtually abuts
Eilat.
Maor said Eilat promotes itself in the U.S. these days by
targeting two types of markets.
One aims at special interests. An example is birdwatchers: Eilat
is on the flight path of many migrating birds, so the birdwatchers'
seasons are September/October and February/March.
In addition, Maor said, "we aim at desert lovers, [and] those
interested in Jordan and Egypt." Eilat also is a place for divers
and for nature lovers, she said. Clients can go horseback and camel
riding, too.
My itinerary included a two-hour trip to the Eilat Mountains
Reserve, the world's second-driest desert and home to a strain of
gazelle that live their whole lives without drinking water.
Eilat also is targeting travelers by religion. Maor said, "We
are pushing for the Jewish traveler and for the Israeli in the U.S.
to come here now, when we need them."
Another viable target group is the Baptists; Eilat and the
region are of interest to those who want to enter Israel from the
south, following in Moses' footsteps.
Maor said business is not off so badly in Eilat as in other
parts of Israel, but it is not clear what the picture will be after
the October holidays. She said in previous years, in winter, Eilat
saw 40 to 45 weekly charters out of Europe, and for the coming
season, only 10 were currently confirmed.
Tsion Ben-David, director of North American operations for the
Israel Ministry of Tourism, said the falloff in business has been
greater from Europe than from the U.S. In a normal year, he said,
48% of American visitors are repeaters; the percent is higher right
now.
He echoed Maor's emphasis on the Jewish and Christian markets,
adding that arrivals of Christians -- mostly Protestant -- outpace
Jewish arrivals. He said only 17% to 20% of American Jews have ever
visited israel, but for promotional purposes, the major problem is
attracting nonaffiliated Jews, or even identifying them.
Get more:
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$1.5B
Israel on-site: Eilat on 'the end of the
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