Never before has the Israeli tourist industry been so dependent on a single man - Pope John-Paul II. Should the Holy See indeed come to Israel in March 2000 (Easter), the visit could be the ultimate lever - alongside the change of government, and the resumption of negotiations with the Palestinians and the Syrians - for restoring the atmosphere of peace and optimism to the region. It will also bring back tourists and foreign investors to Israel.
The Pope’s visit to Israel carries tremendous importance in terms of Israel’s image and its tourist industry. John-Paul II, the Catholic Church’s leader, may inject new momentum into Christian pilgrimage to Israel. Such momentum will not be confined only to Catholics, because John-Paul’s influence reaches far beyond the world’s one billion Catholics, most of whom have never made a pilgrimage to the Holy Land (for theological and sociological reasons), compared with Protestants and Evangelists.
John-Paul II is considered a moral and spiritual authority on various issues. His status as such is recognized across the world (he was chosen Time Magazine’s Man of the Year for 1994). His visit will attract unprecedented media coverage on a global scale, which no advertisement or marketing campaign can rival.
Israel has been suffering from a grave tourism crisis since 1996. The 1995 record figure of 2.5 million tourists - itself painfully low compared to other countries in the region - has not been duplicated. A single statement by the Pope on a visit to Nazareth, a single photo of the Pope shaking hands with Ehud Barak and Yasser Arafat are better than reams of words and may bring to Israel masses of pilgrims following in the footsteps of their shepherd.
"It’s an unequivocal, crystal-clear message to Catholics that it’s ‘legitimate’ to visit the Holy Land - a statement that has not been clearly made so far," Koor-Sheraton marketing deputy general manager (until recently Ministry of Tourism marketing deputy director) Shmuel Tzurel says.
"It’s tantamount to a recommendation and the opening of closed doors. Up to now, Ministry of Tourism officials and tourist companies have come against a closed door in the Catholic market. The Pope’s visit will fling it open. There’s a number of institutes throughout the world that handle Catholic travel, and they’ll now start providing products and voyages to Israel. This will turn us from our ‘sellers only’ position into ‘buyers only’."
Incoming Tourism Bureau general manager Ami Etgar also maintains that the Pope’s visit is a marketing event of the first order, which will give exposure to the Holy Land, and stress the importance of pilgrimage: "The visit may be a model for imitation for many believers, and it’s taking place at a date that carries critical importance for Israel, the region, and the tourist sector. The combination of a new millennium and a change of government in Israel creates a chance of reaching 3.5 million tourists. But this requires organizational measures at the highest government level - not only for the visit itself, but also for resolving infrastructure bottlenecks, so that it’s possible to handle 3.5 million tourists."
"The sector today is at a turning point," says Etgar. "In mid-1999 there’s a 15% rise in arrivals, compared with 1998, which was the third consecutive year of declining tourist arrivals and tourist nights. If the trend continues - together with a relatively good forecast for the last quarter of 1999 - we’ll reach 2.5 million tourists in 1999; 2.5 million being the record set in 1995.
"However, since additional hotel rooms have been constructed, there are no superfluous orders, except for Christmas and Easter in the year 2000. Israel is in a position to cope with fresh orders, and the order backlog is at a low level of less than 3 million for the year 2000. This is why the Pope’s visit may bring about another quantum leap," says Etgar.
The importance of the Pope’s visit derives, of course, from reasons other than the promotion of Israel’s tourist industry. Since the foundation of the State, Jewish leaders stressed virtually at almost all their meetings with popes, the historic and theological need for the Catholic Church to recognize the State of Israel, notably following the Holocaust. But recognition was slow in coming.
On various occasions through the 1990s, Vatican officials admitted that the establishment of formal relations was being held up for political reasons (the absence of peace in the Middle East), rather than for theological ones. In July 1992, when peace negotiations with Jordan and the Palestinians got under way, the Rabin government and the Vatican agreed to set up a joint committee, which started its debates parallel to Israel’s negotiations with the Arabs.
Following the signature of the Oslo agreement in September 1993, the committee’s discussions were intensified. On June 15, 1994, the Vatican and Jerusalem officially stated the establishment of full relations and the exchange of ambassadors. The Holy See and Israel signed a basic agreement which is of great historic importance for both parties, not least on account of its very existence as a full diplomatic document.
Under the agreement, both sides commited themselves to cooperate in the struggle against anti-Semitism, racism, and intolerance. The two sides also undertook to promote understanding between national and communities, to protect human life and dignity, and to uphold the cause of peace. Israel pledged, inter alia, to respect the status quo in the holy sites.
With respect to the issue of tourism, clause no. 5 states, "The Holy See and Israel recognize that both have an interest in taking a favorable view of pilgrimage to the Holy Land by Christians. Whenever the need arises for coordination, the appropriate bodies in the Catholic Church and in Israel shall consult and cooperate as required."
Published by Israel's Business Arena July 5, 1999