The online travel agency Booking.com said Monday they will add warnings to accommodations located in conflict zones around the world from this week, including several Israeli settlements in the West Bank.
Tourists planning to book a stay via the Dutch reservations site at Israeli settlements will likely see the warning mark as early as upcoming Thursday, likely harming the tourism industry in the area.
Among the Israeli settlements that are popular with tourists are Ma'ale Adumim, located near Jerusalem, and Ariel in the northern West Bank.
According to the Dutch company’s statement, a text will appear next to certain accommodations, saying, "a visit to this area may be accompanied by an increased risk to safety, human rights and other risks to guests and the local community."
"Certain areas affected by conflict may pose a greater risk to travelers, so we provide our customers with information that helps them make decisions and encourage them to check their government's official travel guidelines as part of the decision-making process," Booking.com told Ynet, explaining their decision.
"Our goal is to make it easier for everyone to experience and travel around the world," the company said in response. "In accordance with this, we attempt to ensure that our clients have all the information they need in order to make decisions about destinations they are considering traveling to.
"The marking will appear in other conflict zones in the world.''