Fleur Hassan-Nahoum: Rethinking Jerusalem tourism

APRIL 30, 2020 15:43

Tourists look at a mobile phone as they stand at an observation point overlooking the Dome of the Rock and Jerusalem's Old City (photo credit: REUTERS) — Tourists look at a mobile phone as they stand at an observation point overlooking the Dome of the Rock and Jerusalem's Old City

(photo credit: REUTERS)

We need a paradigm shift in our thinking about tourism in the age of the coronavirus.

We are in uncharted waters. Jerusalem has faced many challenges in the last decades – wars, intifadas, snowstorms – but the coronavirus is something that we, as well as the rest of the country and the world, were not prepared for and few could have foreseen.

Jerusalem has been particularly challenged for two main reasons. First, we are the poorest city in the country, mainly because we are home to the nation’s two most economically-challenged minorities, and second, because our economy is heavily based on the service industry, tourism being one of the main income sources for our city.

The tourism industry directly employs about 12,000 people and tens of thousands indirectly. It is estimated that the last two years (2018-2019) saw almost 10 million tourists visit our capital.

Sadly, after many years of steady growth, it took only a few short months for the entire industry to come crashing down, with tens of thousands unable to bring home an income.

Long term, I am not worried. Jerusalem has a unique international and religious status. Despite the virus, I am optimistic that the industry is unlikely to be damaged permanently.

What is less clear is what will happen in the short term. Will we go back to our regular lives? Will social distancing become part of the new normal? Are we at the gates of a new era of viruses? What will tourism look like in this new reality?

We don’t know the answers to many of these questions, but I believe that we need a paradigm shift in our thinking, even for the immediate future. Tourism is a glorious industry based on exciting new experiences, relaxation and discovery. The question that has been on my mind for the past few weeks, as I watch friends and colleagues close down their hotels, restaurants and other service-oriented businesses, is: Can we take the essence of tourism and adapt it to our new reality?

Over the last few weeks, I have heard voices that see this virus as an opportunity to rethink or reset the norm, to revisit the days of cramped low-cost airlines and the cacophony of the all you can eat buffet, with hundreds of people wrestling in lines for the eggs at breakfast or the entrecote at dinner. Perhaps the way to repair the industry in what feels like an apocalypse is to develop and embrace the boutique experience.

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The Tourism Ministry released a plan last week that details a number of gradual steps to gradually open the industry. We welcome the plan and are using it as the basis for our own city strategy to resuscitate tourism, and with it, our economy.

We are in the process of building a practical plan that will get us back to a version of tourism that can live with this new reality in the short term and the full restoration of the industry within 18 months. In addition, I hope to establish a municipal fund for loans and grants for small tourism businesses to get them through the slump and also to incentivize online businesses to hire or reskill people as much as possible where possible.

With Mayor Moshe Lion’s full backing, I will be heading a municipal committee for the rehabilitation of tourism along with government, industry leaders and business owners. I propose the following incremental steps that will each be evaluated in real time, as a road map to rehabilitation:

1. The immediate opening of open spaces, with restrictions on the number of visitors, e.g.: Botanical Gardens, Gazelle Valley, the Biblical Zoo, open malls and markets.

2. Opening of national sites and museums in closed areas that will be limited to a specific number of people or family units, for example: the Israel Museum, the Science Museum, the Tower of David, Bible Lands Museum and more. The opening of additional sites will be examined in accordance with compliance to hygiene rules.

3. Opening of hotels and hostels while adhering to a safe hygiene standard issued by the municipality, similar to the SG Clean quality mark that was developed by the government of Singapore. In the first stage, tourists will be allowed to take Airbnbs or places where there are utilities and kitchenettes in each room. Likewise, hotel accommodation will be permitted with the option of in-room dining only, without using public areas. Subsequently, permitting use of hotels with smaller dining areas while maintaining social distancing or an appointment system for guests to dine.

4. As we know, air travel will be the last industry to get back on its feet. We need to start by encouraging domestic tourism: Up until the beginning of the pandemic, our internal tourism market stood at around 20%. Our goal is to bring it up to 40% and encourage one-day tourism packages for individuals and nuclear families.

5. One of Jerusalem’s unique selling points is our holy sites. As soon as the crisis ends, we envision a surge in the visits to holy sites. We need a thoughtful plan specifically for the Holy Basin: the Temple Mount, the Church of the Holy Sepulchre and the Western Wall, including the surrounding areas. We will need to limit the number of people, test their temperature and ensure that masks and hand sanitizers are used. A local entrepreneur came up with an idea of stamping hands of tourists once their temperature is taken as a “clean pass” for all sites.

6. The tour guide profession has taken a huge hit. A marketing campaign to encourage guided tours for nuclear families celebrating birthdays and marriages would be an effective way to get them working again, even if at local tourism fees.

7. The city will consider incentives such as free parking for tourists around the Old City, one ticket for a number of sites and other ways of making it easier and more affordable for Israelis to choose Jerusalem.

In summary, it is our duty to examine all options to save the tourism industry from closure and collapse following the crisis. In Jerusalem, it is an integral part of our economy and we simply cannot afford to live without it.

We need to plan and execute a short- and long-term rehabilitation plan. We need to map the next two years and understand what foreign and domestic tourists need in order to feel safe. The industry must also understand that they may have to compromise on their profit margins in order to breathe life to their own industry in the short term.

We are all in this together. Sacrifices need to be made by all sectors. The colossal task ahead is restoring the confidence of the public, and for that, we have to keep listening to their hopes and fears.

Jerusalem – Yes, we can!

The writer is deputy mayor of Jerusalem.