Israel and Turkey Tensions Affect Tourism
Post-flotilla, Turkey is seething at Israel and Israel is furious with Turkey. Friction between the two nation’s politicians is higher than ever, and in both countries shoppers are boycotting goods from the other (Turkish coffee is currently having a Freedom Fries moment in Israel). But there seems to be one winner in all the tension – the Israeli tourist industry.
In recent years Turkey has been an exceedingly popular tourist destination for Israelis. But now the government is advising people not to travel, saying it’s not safe. It has launched a campaign promoting “staycations”.
This comes on the heels of unrest in another popular tourist spot for Israelis, Thailand, which has put many off visiting. How long before somebody comes up with a conspiracy theory claiming that Israeli hoteliers are behind Turkey-Israel tensions and Thai unrest?
As Israelis are set to stay put, more people are coming to Israel. According to Tourism Ministry figures 317,000 tourists visited Israel in April 2010 – an all-time record for the month of April (perhaps, Sarah Palin’s “flocking” comment wasn’t so far off).
I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s award-winning journalism this Passover.
In this age of misinformation, our work is needed like never before. We report on the news that matters most to American Jews, driven by truth, not ideology.
At a time when newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall. That means for the first time in our 126-year history, Forward journalism is free to everyone, everywhere. With an ongoing war, rising antisemitism, and a flood of disinformation that may affect the upcoming election, we believe that free and open access to Jewish journalism is imperative.
Readers like you make it all possible. Right now, we’re in the middle of our Passover Pledge Drive and we still need 300 people to step up and make a gift to sustain our trustworthy, independent journalism.
Make a gift of any size and become a Forward member today. You’ll support our mission to tell the American Jewish story fully and fairly.
— Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO
Join our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.
Only 300 more gifts needed by April 30