American travel agents visit Israel in push for postwar tourism

A group of American travel agents visited Israel this week in a push for postwar tourism following a period of regional turbulence that reduced travel to the Holy Land.

The weeklong trip, sponsored by the Israeli Ministry of Tourism, comes as the number of visitors from the United States began to pick up this summer, just ahead of next month’s much-anticipated return to Tel Aviv by two major US legacy carriers.

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“People do want to come; it’s just the fear factor of ‘Oh my God, it’s the Middle East,’” said Sima Pagash, a Los Angeles travel agent at Destinations and Adventures. “Being here for the first time, it’s been an eye-opener: I felt it’s like anywhere else.”

Her message to clients who thought she was crazy to come to Israel: “Stop worrying about the what-ifs and enjoy life.”

“I felt safer walking on the streets of Jerusalem and Tel Aviv than driving in my car in Atlanta,” said Henriette Ostrzega, a travel designer with Amara Voyages. “From what we see in the media in the U.S. or Europe, it’s always bad all the time or a focus on isolated incidents. This is not the reality you see on the ground.”

“There is a reticence and fear of coming to Israel in the travel industry even though everyone is eager to come,” said Richard Liverance, marketing director for the Israeli Ministry of Tourism in Los Angeles. “They are just waiting for the right time for things to settle down.”

About 200,000 American tourists visited Israel in the first seven months of the year, compared with some 230,000 during the same period last year, according to ministry figures. The 12% drop is attributed to the war with Iran, which began on Feb. 28.

With a tenuous ceasefire now in place, tourism from the United States was up 15% in July compared with the same month last year, with Americans making up one-third of all tourists entering Israel last month.

“As a Jewish American, life in the U.S. has become scary with every day another antisemitic incident and a lot of us asking where are we going to go,” said Dana Rasof of Exclusive Travel Partners in the Chicago suburb of Deerfield, who was last in Israel a quarter-century ago.

“Coming here has been an unbelievable feeling to be surrounded by your own people. It’s funny that some American Jews are more comfortable celebrating a bar or bat mitzvah celebration in Europe with all the incidents there.”

“As an American Catholic with Mexican roots, I grew up idolizing Jerusalem as the Holy Land where Jesus walked,” said Karina Nava, a travel agent with Exclusive Travel Partners in Los Angeles, who said most of her clients were scared or uncertain about making the journey. “It was so nice to see the mesh of Jews, Christians and Muslims in day-to-day life in Jerusalem. I felt super peaceful, including walking the streets at night.”

“It’s just been an eye-opener,” concurred Kim Shankland of Integrity Destination in Colorado Springs, who said she was struck by the friendliness of the people during her visit. “Every aspect of this visit just blows your mind away.”

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