The tourism industry as a whole was arguably the most affected by the closing of the borders and the limitations placed on tourists entering the country in the past two years since the onset of Corona. Lockdowns within the country made it that there was no additional stream to cover this difficult period. Thousands of Israelis working in the hotel and restaurant industry were put on chalat (almost like a job hold where you’re not quite fired but you’re not exactly making the same amount), or they were fired, or they had to quit altogether. Passover 2022 however, might be the light at the end of the tunnel they’ve been waiting for.
“The past 2 years were horrible” says Tzvi, a Jaffa based hotelier who’s been in the industry for over a decade, “during all the lockdowns there were almost no bookings.” Before the Delta variant hit, it seemed like everything was getting back to normal, but another lockdown led to even more cancellations. But not this time.
(photo credit: israeltourism from Israel, CC BY-SA 2.0)
With no more lockdowns in sight, the borders reopened, no more Red Lists and no more vaccination restrictions placed on travelers, let’s hope that the tourism industry can get back some of what it lost these past couple of years. March bookings were already looking like they did pre-Corona, with hotels already at about 80% capacity for April, and with this number expected to reach close to 95%. With a lot of museums and parks free across the country for well-known hotspots including the Tel Aviv Museum of Art, the Haifa Zoo, Jerusalem Botanical Gardens and more, it seems like the efforts to make this Holiday season the best one in a long time are very much underway. Kosher Passover Programs are sold out across the country, extra staff have been hired to cover all the extra needs of a special program that includes Kosher for Passover food, and the energy of those who work in the industry seems quite high. “We are all very excited,” said Tzvi. It doesn’t look like anything or any variant can stop this industry from making its much deserved comeback.
