The Wrong Hotels in the Wrong Place
Investments in Judea & Samaria won't save Israeli tourism
“While the region boasts spectacular ancient heritage sites, breathtaking desert vistas, and boutique wineries,” the Israel Travel News website declares, “a shortage of overnight lodging has historically meant that tourists could only visit for brief day trips.” Now, though, thanks to a “groundbreaking” NIS27 million (US$7.3 million) government investment, there will be a “vibrant infrastructure of hotels, bed-and-breakfasts, and eco-lodges.” Tourism Minister Haim Katz emphasized that the plan would lay “down the foundation to welcome an influx of global travellers,” turning the area into a “premier stay-and-holiday destination,” that complements a previous NIS50 million government initiative to upgrade public tourist sites, hiking trails, and historical landmarks in the area. The area in question? Judea & Samaria, also known as the West Bank or Occupied Territories.
“Can’t believe this is what they’re spending [funds] on right now,” a tour-guide friend wrote to me, and I couldn’t agree more. On the one hand, US$7.3 million isn’t a great amount of money in the grand scheme of the national budget; on the other hand, anyone who thinks the West Bank is about to become a major destination for “global travellers” is living a very active fantasy life. While the area may have some appeal for religious Jews and evangelicals, very few other tourists would be interested in staying overnight in a settlement, and even those who might support settlements ideologically would be less inclined to stay in areas that are perceived – rightly or wrongly – as being significantly more dangerous than the other side of the Green Line, particularly as they are routinely the subject of travel advisories.
A quick glance at the headlines explains why the region isn’t going to become the new Tuscany anytime soon. Whether it’s a visiting American politician alleging IDF soldiers detained him, a Palestinian family’s toilet becoming a closed military zone, or foreign reporters being attacked, hardly a day goes by without another awful and embarrassing incident taking place. The backdrop to this is the government’s decision to double down on its policy of permanent occupation and oppression of the Palestinians since October 7, and continued efforts to bury any hopes of a Palestinian state.
This also comes at a time when Israeli tourism is in dire straits after nearly three years of war and continued uncertainty over Iran. In June 2026, 83,000 foreign visitors entered the country, an increase on the 56,000 in June 2025, but a fraction of the 322,900 foreign arrivals in June 2023 and the 365,000 in June 2019 (the year before COVID and Israel’s record year for tourism). Instead of taking real action to address this problem, the perception is once again that the government prefers to support sectoral interests.
This is reflected in the current government’s record on heritage spending, with an overwhelming focus on West Bank sites, including NIS250 million for sites across Judea & Samaria, NIS190 million for Sebastia, and NIS150 million on plans to replace Israel Antiquities Authority oversight in the territories with a “Judea, Samaria and Gaza Heritage Authority.” While this might make it easier for a limited section of the population to visit these places, it certainly won’t turn it into a hub for “global travellers,” for all the reasons I’ve listed above.
The problem is that none of these investments are really about tourism. A government serious about reviving the industry would pour resources into marketing, security reassurance, and infrastructure in the places tourists actually want to go – Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, the Galilee, the Dead Sea – rather than indulging the fantasy that evangelicals (who are themselves less supportive of Israel than they were in the past) can rescue an industry bleeding from war, instability, and reputational damage. Instead of tourism infrastructure, we’re being given settlement infrastructure, with hotels and hiking trails the equivalent of putting lipstick on a pig.
To be fair, the government hasn’t been entirely idle. There’s been a NIS43 million rescue package for struggling tour operators and a NIS20 million marketing campaign aimed at North American Christians. But compare those figures with the hundreds of millions allocated for Judea & Samaria tourism this year, and the imbalance speaks for itself: instead of saving a tourism industry that already – barely – exists, it’s trying to build one that doesn’t.
It’s tragic because despite everything there is a path back for Israeli tourism. Jerusalem is one of the most powerful brands in the world, the country’s other main attractions haven’t disappeared, and history shows the industry can rebound relatively quickly once security perceptions improve. But every shekel invested in places that no reasonable travel advisory would recommend is a shekel not spent rebuilding confidence in the places that once drew millions. So instead of fantasizing about “global travellers” coming to sip wine in Judea and Samaria, we need to focus on winning back tourists, rather than chasing a market that was never really there.