What's more, they worry about who will staff hotels and other projects in areas like Eilat, where there is a shortage of available workers and housing. Baram and other tourism officials addressed these issues, noting that three new hotel schools have recently opened, training hundreds of former Soviet olim and others to staff hotels. Israeli leaders, however, see tourism as more than just a means of encouraging the country's economic independence and providing new jobs. They say tourism in the Middle East is also a way to buttress the peace process. When people from different nations get to know each other personally through travel, hostilities are mitigated, he said.
Tourism is one of the factors that make the peace process really irreversible.
But hours after Savignac's warm discourse on friendship, CNN aired a story on Jerusalem 3000, featuring a spot interview with a Palestinian man who appeared disgusted by the concept. His comment highlighted the fact that peace within Israel is not a fait accompli. While Israel is negotiating with the Palestinians to expand self-rule in areas such as Bethlehem, terrorism continues, albeit sporadically. Bulletin staff writer Teresa Strasser recently returned from the Prime Minister's Conference on Peace Tourism held in Tel Aviv. All rights reserved.