Exploring Israel wouldn’t be complete without visiting communities near the Gaza border. This emerging form of tourism gained popularity after the attack by Palestinian fighters on October 7.
Celebrities such as Jerry Seinfeld, Elon Musk, Michael Douglas, former presidential candidate Nikki Haley, Ivanka Trump, and Jared Kushner have visited these areas, often taking photos in front of destroyed homes.
Traditionally, visits to Israel for dignitaries and VIPs included stops at iconic religious and cultural sites like the Western Wall, Masada, the Sea of Galilee, the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, and the Yad Vashem Holocaust memorial.
The visits to damaged kibbutzim and border towns are aimed at bolstering international support and reviving tourism after the Gaza conflict. Israel’s Central Bureau of Statistics reported a significant tourism decline, from 930,000 visitors in Q4 of 2022 to around 180,000 in Q4 of 2023, an 81.5% drop.
During the conflict, Hamas attacks in southern Israel claimed approximately 1,200 lives and resulted in about 250 abductions.
According to Gaza health officials, over 37,000 Palestinians lost their lives in the subsequent conflict. Many severely affected kibbutzim and towns are restricted to organised tours for celebrities, dignitaries, or by invitation from residents.
Elsewhere in southern Israel, areas are open to local and international visitors. Sderot offers “resilience tours,” connecting groups with survivors sharing their experiences or highlighting the city’s culture and cuisine.
Unlike severely affected kibbutzim like Nir Oz, most residents of Sderot have returned. South of Sderot, the site of the Nova music festival has become a pilgrimage site, attracting hundreds of daily visitors.
Around what was once the main stage, photos of the victims are displayed, surrounded by candles, sculptures, and other mementoes placed by their relatives.
Nearby, in a eucalyptus grove, “Triumph of the Spirit” offers virtual reality tours of three kibbutzim.
Currently, these tours are exclusively available to soldiers on educational visits, with plans to offer an English version for international tourists soon. Tourism contributes about 3% to Israel’s economy, employing approximately 200,000 people. However, concerns about regional tensions have dampened hopes for sector recovery in 2024.