The future of tourism: When will the people come back to visit?
How different will people’s next vacation here in Israel or somewhere overseas look this year? Will they continue to go to the same places they go to every year?
By ILANA SHTOTLANDBeachgoers hang out at the shore of the Mediterranean Sea in Tel Aviv as coronavirus disease (COVID-19) restrictions ease in Israel May 21, 2020(photo credit: AMIR COHEN/REUTERS)
‘Some people might say that I’m very optimistic, while others will say I’m a realistic person who wears rose-colored glasses,” says Dr. Eran Keter, from the Tourism and Hotel Management program at the Academic Kinneret College. “I’ve been dealing with crises for over 15 years now. Every time there’s a crisis in the tourism sector, everyone is sure that it’s the end of the world, but in the end, the tourists always come back.“There’s no doubt that the current economic crisis we’re experiencing has been tough, but many people would rather tighten their budget in other areas so they can still go on their annual vacation. They might keep costs lower than they normally would, but they’ll still take a trip.”How different will people’s next vacation here in Israel or somewhere overseas look this year? Will they continue to go to the same places they go to every year? Can people still enjoy themselves even under the new strict social distancing regulations? Keter, a travel crisis expert, remains extremely optimistic.“Here in Israel, the moment tourist sites were officially allowed to reopen, people began flocking to national nature parks throughout the country and reservations for bed and breakfasts have skyrocketed. Some places were booked solid for the Shavuot holiday,” reports Keter.“Some hotels that haven’t even reopened yet are already fully booked for August, at full pre-COVID-19 prices,” he continues. “In comparison with Europe, Israel is quickly making its way out of the pandemic. Asian countries, on the other hand, which were hit with the virus earlier, also finished with it before us and already lifted restrictions a while ago. Flights throughout Asia, as well as tourist attractions and hotels there, have been operating as normal for some time now.”The fact that hotels in Israel have begun accepting reservations, explains Keter, shows that Israelis are not worried about catching the virus, due to the low number of infections we’ve seen thus far in Israel (though a rise might still very well happen).“It’s good to see that only hotels and tourist sites that have been awarded a Purple Tag, have been allowed to reopen for business in accordance with Health Ministry Instructions, including strict rules regarding disinfection and social distancing. This shows that Israelis feel very secure about going on vacation. It’s likely that people who are at-risk for infection, have background illnesses or are elderly, will choose not to frequent these types of places for the time being.”“PEOPLE ARE not so quick to give up on taking a family vacation together,” says David Peled, a member of the Golan Tourism Committee and a representative of bed and breakfast owners in the Tourism Ministry. “Even though many people are really low on cash these days, they are still going to take their annual family vacation. It’s an essential part of life.”Peled, who is also the owner of Kukuriku Suite in the Country, a bed and breakfast located in Ani’am in the Golan Heights, believes, “Many people who used to go to hotels will now prefer bed and breakfasts due to the social distancing regulations. It’s an easier way to spend time with your nuclear family, and you don’t overlap with other people nearly as much this way, which means it’s much safer. When you go to a bed and breakfast, each family has their own little private house.”Many bed and breakfasts with between one and three units oftentimes have lots of open space, with a private swimming pool and outdoor jacuzzi.
“The only difference in the experience of going to a bed and breakfast from before the COVID-19 outbreak is that now guests have to sign a health declaration every morning stating that they are all healthy,” adds Peled. “Many guests will also probably enquire about how the unit is disinfected between guests’ visits, as well as how well the towels and sheets are laundered, and how the pool area has been cleaned.”The difference between the pre-epidemic period and the current time with all the new regulations will be felt much more at establishments where there are five or more units.“In bed and breakfasts with multiple units,” states Peled, “there oftentimes is just one swimming pool for everyone, which means that its use will not be allowed until all the new regulations have been instituted. Some places have decided that the pool will only be available to one family, and the price for this will obviously be higher. This works well, since some people aren’t interested in the pool, and will be happy to receive a reduced rate instead.”What other differences are there between the various types of bed and breakfasts?“In large-scale places, there’s oftentimes a reception room for all the guests. According to the Purple Tag regulations, there must be a glass or clear plastic partition so that there won’t be any contamination between the owner and guests. For now, dining halls are not allowed to operate yet, so meals are delivered to each house separately. The owner is supposed to bring a trolley with the food on it, knock on the door and then move away before the guests open their door,” says Peled.What about prices? Peled answers, “They haven’t changed much from last year. Bed and breakfasts range from NIS 450 per night all the way up to NIS 1,000 per night for luxury units. But if we see that places are getting booked up, we’ll be able to lower prices, since our overhead costs will be more easily covered. Currently, units are booked on average for 80 nights a year. With the advent of low-cost airlines, lots of Israelis preferred vacationing overseas. But now that’s completely changed, so we expect many more bookings from Israelis, including stays all year long and not just around holidays and school vacations. According to my estimates, the number of nights booked in bed and breakfasts will soon rise considerably.”Keter, however, believes that Israelis’ preference for vacationing in bed and breakfasts over hotels will only be temporary.“For now, there will be a sharp rise in bookings at bed and breakfasts, since it’s much easier to carry out social distancing this way, but as soon as the COVID-19 epidemic passes, I think that Israelis will flock back to hotels and all their old ways. Hopefully, the number of COVID-19 cases will fall even lower in the upcoming weeks and people will feel more comfortable about going on vacation. At some point, hotels and other tourist establishments will be allowed to open up play areas for children, gyms, spas, restaurants and beaches. Once the fear of contagion disappears, I believe that the level of activity at these establishments will go back to pre-COVID-19 levels.”What kind of restrictions will there be on hotel stays?Keter continued, “Well, first of all, when guests arrive at the hotel, they will be directed to go directly to their room. Check-in will be done through a digital app so that no one needs to stand in line at the reception desk in the main lobby or talk face-to-face with hotel employees. Some hotels that have already opened have switched to locking devices on guest room doors that can be opened with a smartphone. It’s possible that rooms will become available only later in the day, since the cleaning and disinfecting process will now be much more advanced and lengthier.”What about meals at hotels?“Breakfast will be brought to the room. Plates and silverware that are wrapped in plastic will be provided in each room. Dinner will be held in the dining room, but will not be buffet. Waiters with gloves and masks will approach each table with dishes that have been pre-ordered. Guests will sign up for a specific hour so that there will only be a certain number of people dining at the same time, with the tables spaced far apart from each other,” says Keter.“People’s need to live and enjoy themselves is much stronger than many other aspects of people’s lives, and so I believe that tourism in Israel will pick up soon,” claims Pini Shani, deputy director of tourist experiences at the Tourism Ministry. “Of course, dealing with the ramifications of the COVID-19 epidemic has left us facing many challenges and limitations, but I believe we’ll be able to overcome them and that the tourism sector will soon recuperate. Hopefully, Israelis will soon be able to go back to vacationing throughout the country as they have in the past, with a few minor adjustments.”What kind of adjustments are you talking about?“Well, first of all everyone will want to know exactly how the rooms are disinfected after each guest leaves – especially the bathrooms. People were very interested in these details before the epidemic, so this has fallen under even more scrutiny now. I hope that as the number of people infected with the virus here in Israel falls, everything will become more relaxed. Everyone in every sector has been affected by COVID-19, and we all need to adapt to a new style of living – and vacationing.”Some hotels throughout the country have already returned to partial operation, while others are planning to reopen in the coming months, Shani says. “Hotels have been allowed to be open throughout the crisis,” explains Shani, “so long as they follow the regulations. The question is, is it economical to operate under such restrictions?”Why would anyone want to go to a hotel if the pool and the dining room are closed?“If a hotel can follow the standards, access to the pool will be allowed. I’m sure that no hotel wants to be known as a place that hosted guests who were sick with COVID-19. That kind of publicity can be fatal for any establishment.”According to Shani, as long as the number of Israelis testing positive for COVID-19 continues to slow down, tourism in Israel will be back on its feet sooner than expected.“Some larger chains that have reopened their reservation centers have registered a high number of bookings for the summer months. Bed and breakfasts are experiencing a large number of bookings as well. It’s too early to tell how large of an impact the health crisis will have on Israel’s tourism sector. Everything is changing quickly. Hotels in Israel are very good at adapting to change, and I believe that they will succeed in offering guests a quality and safe holiday experience.”“For the time being, Israelis will prefer vacationing here in Israel, so that they won’t have to deal with airports and airplanes, and so that if a family member does get sick, they will have access to a quality health system that they trust,” adds Keter. “But I believe that as soon as low-cost airlines begin operating again – perhaps even as early as this summer - Israelis will once again begin flying to places like Greece, Cyprus and Austria. The first people to venture overseas will be young Israelis who are not at high risk for getting sick. After a few weeks, once these people have come back home safe and happy, and flight prices remain attractive, many Israeli families will ask themselves why they should pay such high rates for a hotel in Eilat, when they can get a much better deal in Greece.”“As soon as flights resume, I think we’ll see a slow rise in reservations to places like the Greek islands of Karpathos, Lefkada and Santorini,” asserts Miki Azulai, the owner Ayala Tours. “Greece has had a very small number of COVID-19 cases, as have Croatia and Austria. For this reason, Israelis will choose to travel to these locations. But this is all speculation, since none of the airlines have returned to operation yet. We still don’t know what the regulations will be, what kind of limitations will be involved and what the costs of tickets will be. Sooner or later, though, I think the entire sector will return to pre-COVID-19 levels of travel.”Another one of Azulai’s predictions is that in the near future, many Israelis will choose to travel to the Sinai Peninsula. “Contagion levels in the Sinai have been extremely low, and so combined with the extremely low prices, and the proximity to Israel, I think that many Israelis will go there for vacation, at least for the time being. Being able to go outside of Israel without having to pass through an airport is a huge advantage. I don’t think many Israelis will go for a long weekend to Paris or London before October at the earliest. When it comes down to it, these decisions will all be based on contagion levels.”Translated by Hannah Hochner.
