Israel: War and Tourism Boycott

Some Russian travel companies headed by the Coordinator of the Jordan Club, Ankhar Kochneva, intend to terminate sales of tours to Israel starting from the beginning of September. This was announced while the on-line conference in the Community TourdomProfi on August 2nd. The idea is to express protest to the country that in high season started war in Lebanon, where hundreds of people suffered and the infrastructure was destroyed. Besides, the war in Lebanon affected the tourist flow to Siria and Jordan. Ankhar Kocheva commented on the initiative: ‘at the moment more than ten companies including Concord and Collage - Service are ready to support us. We will try to send people to other destinations instead of Israel. In extreme cases we will send our clients to those companies which did not join us’. Ankhar Kochneva also said that for the travel companies which supported the initiative Israel is not the main destination, but if each of them does not send at least one tour for two persons in a month the country will not receive 30,000$. But what will be the losses of agencies themselves? Thus, Jordan Club planned to sell 20 2-day excursions to Jerusalem and Bethlehem per week in the coming season. Each of them costs $300. Consequently, in protest the company is ready to sacrifice $6000 per month. ‘We do not want to contribute into the development of Israel. At least until the infrastructure of Lebanon recovers’, explained Kochneva. Meanwhile, not all travel companies that send tourists to Israel share the point of view of the Jordan Club. Thus, Valentina Treskova, General Director of Charoit Travel, said: ‘it is not right to confuse politics and tourism. Moreover, the Israeli destination also suffers in the current war. We have cancellations from tours to the Northern Israel that evidently affects profits. Comparing to last year there is no sales depth for September and October – tourists are waiting for the end of confrontation with Lebanon’. Furthermore, Alexander Baras, Director of E - tiquette agreed: ‘a tour operator that seriously works with the destination will never participate in such actions. Tourism is aimed at attracting people to countries but not to turn them against this or that destination’.