The Merchavim Institute

How Can Social Tourism Be a Catalyst for Shared Society?

This week, Ilanit Harmati, Director of Shared Paths, a program by Merchavim Institute, represented us in a Knesset discussion on the challenges of developing tourism in Arab towns.
The discussion, initiated by MK Yasser Hajirat (Ra’am) as part of the Committee for Reducing Gaps in the Periphery, focused on ways to turn tourism into a driver of economic and social growth. Ilanit emphasized the importance of viewing tourism as a tool for promoting a shared society and the need to ensure a safe geographical space that fosters prosperity and good neighborly relations between Arab and Jewish communities.

So, what’s the path forward?
- Expanding the perception of tourism beyond leisure to a powerful tool for building a shared society, fostering regional cooperation and strengthening ties between Jewish and Arab communities.
- Investing in tourism infrastructure such as professional training, parking facilities, and more, to enable sustainable and high-quality tourism.
- Developing business tourism, for example, professional conferences, that support local economic growth.
- Holding in-depth discussions that lead to policy change and on-the-ground action.

At Merchavim, we work both on the ground and in the public sphere, because real change happens when policy and action come together.

Watch Ilanit’s remarks in the discussion (in Hebrew).

@דרכים שלובות