Israel's Tourism Ministry is promoting a plan to be executed over five years in the Gaza border area and include hotels, an amusement park and a memorial site for the victims of the Hamas massacre that is being describe by officials there, as akin to Yad Vashem, Israel's Holocaust memorial museum in Jerusalem. << Follow Ynetnews on Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | TikTok >>
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The grandiose project promoted by Tourism Minister Haim Katz promises the biggest Ferris Wheel in the Middle East and claims it would revive the communities and attract tourism.
In their vision, the planners see an enormous complex which includes areas for concerts and parties (just like the Nova festival near Re'im), hotels, and attractions that would provide jobs to local residents.
The goals of the project include:
1. Returning the situation to the way it was. Bringing back the open nature areas, and tourism attractions that existed before October 7, but built on completely new infrastructure.
2. Establishing a documentary project about the journey from commemoration to revival, which will bring the stories of the communities up until October 7.
"we are planning to establish a tourist site that will be the craziest party club in the world at the same place of the Nova festival near Re'im. I want to turn this place into a happy place, a place for performances, a place for celebrations, while we commemorate what happened there," said Elad Ernfeld From Israel Government Tourist Company. "We don't forget, but we continue to live. In my opinion, I also want a huge amusement park with the biggest Ferris Wheel in the Middle East. How much fun would it be to go on vacation with the children to the south when there are attractions such as an amusement park, a concert venue, a party complex, B&Bs, hotels, Glamping, a historical memorial site, visits to crops with the farmers and attractions as well as services operated by local residents."
Why a such a large ferris wheel?
"First of all, to show everyone in Gaza that the border area has come back to life, because that is the most important thing, to come back to life, and also with the understanding that tourism must be brought to the area and to commemorate and document the horrors of that horrible Saturday," Ernfeld said.
"These days Tourism Minister Haim Katz is in the process of talking with the officials tasked with rebuilding and rehabilitating the area to prepare the commemoration and tourism plans. We, as a governmental company that is the ministry's executive arm, will have to break it down into operations on the ground, and our message is from commemoration to revival.
"From a tourism point of view, the plan is to make the region a part of Israel's tourism destinations, which was not the case before. After all, to this day there are no hotels in the area, there are no B&Bs, you will not see tourist buses that stop in here and drop off visitors, so the intention is to turn this southern region into a favorite tourist site - and this is the matter of revival," he said.
"And of course there is also the matter of commemoration, and by this I mean that a commemorative site would be established here just like Yad Vashem. Here, people will come to learn what happened on October 7. The museum will lead the visitors through three sections from remembrance to revival and will be at the standard of Yad Vashem, both in terms of the costs and in terms of the story to be told.
From the evidence that has already been gathered, we already know that the commemorative museum that will be established, will be divided into three sections: from the establishment of the state to October 7, the events of October 7 with footage and commemoration with all the testimonies - videos, interviews and more, and the third stage - going to revival, which is the tourism part."
"When tourists come here, they will look for places to sleep and we will have to make sure that B&Bs, hotels and glamping sites are built here. And when we talk about revival and hope, then yes, we definitely also see a complex for parties and events, places where people will come to celebrate life.
"This area could become one of the top three tourist destinations of the State of Israel after Tel Aviv and Jerusalem. It is about half an hour from Tel Aviv and about half an hour from Be'er Sheva and all the potential is there. It is true that a national trauma happened here, but our mission will be to revive the place and make it an area that will be accessible, by by road or by train, not to mention the economic significance that it will have, and the jobs it would provide for residents."
The Tourism Ministry is not the only one working on the plans for the day after. The Heritage Ministry and other ministries are also working on documentation and commemoration out of a desire to preserve the culture, tradition, and the way of life of the mostly Kibbutz communities. However, it seems that the Tourism Ministry is rushing ahead with plans that many doubt will come to fruition.
4 View gallery
A commemorative exhibit of victims of the Nova music festival
(Photo: Amir Cohen / Reuters)
Officials who are working to preserve the heritage of the communities were surprised to hear about the grand plans that they claim are the opposite of what the residents of the area want and need. It was "disconnected from reality," they said. "The work on the 'day after' is delicate and complex and there are many factors that need to be taken into account, they said. "It is clear that there will be many who will want to come to the area after the war and that tourism should be developed, but there are many questions about how to do this in a way that preserves and commemorates the memory of the victims while taking into account the residents and the disaster that they had been through in an appropriate manner. The feeling is that they are running a little too fast with a plan that is a little out of touch with reality."
Do the residents want this?
Erenfeld: "We are not coming to do things against the wishes of the residents, and we still need to understand the importance of a respectable memorial site that will preserve both the horrors and the stories of heroism that happened on October 7. We are in contact with the residents, and if there is an objection we will listen and know how to resolve it. We will not do anything without consent. We will talk with the residents to explain the plans, we will show them the plans with the help of visual aids and they will be able to express their opinion."
How long is needed until completion?
"We believe that we will complete the project within five years from the moment we begin."
Where does the money come from?
"The money has already been approved in the budget for the committee for the revival of the area which received 18 billion shekels for five years, and we are still in discussions with them. At the same time, I have already prepared the plan according to the vision of the tourism minister and I know what the needs are. I believe we will know how to get the money."
According to Erenfeld, the cost would exceed 3 billion shekels. "There is a strong office behind me, headed by a minister who knows how to identify the needs and recognize the sensitivities. Let's not forget that it is not only about tourism, but also the surrounding infrastructure, such as the construction of all the parking lots or the restoration of the bike lanes, cleaning them from all the shells and artillery that is there today. We are now building a long bike lane and I want it to extend to the south. The goal is to connect between this area to the rest of the country."
"The Israel Government Tourist Company has the knowledge, the experience and the ability to build modern tourism infrastructure, which will lead to a boost in tourism and economic prosperity in the region. The plan responds to the development vision and I consider this of utmost importance," Tourism Minister Haim Katz said.