Can Tourism Foster Peace? These Socially Conscious Operators Say Yes
In a year marked by war and division, a handful of companies are building trips that blend sightseeing with access to diverse communities and narratives.
View of the Western Wall and the Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem.
Source: Pomegranate TravelWelcome to the Better Travel Bureau, where we dive into the business of making tourism more equitable, more inclusive and less harmful to the environment—who’s transforming the industry, what’s changing, and is it actually possible?
In 2005, Aziz Abu Sarah—a Palestinian then living in east Jerusalem—met with a Jewish friend who was visiting Israel from the US. Although it was the tail end of his tour, his friend hadn’t met any Muslims or Arabs on his trip, and he was harboring anti-Palestinian views. “He was so one-sided, even though he knew me,” says Abu Sarah. It was a revelation that planted the seed for Mejdi Tours, a tour operator intended to bridge the divide between two at-odds populations in a country the size of New Jersey.