RURAL TOURISM

In Israel, as throughout the world, areas which were previously based fully on agriculture are now urgently seeking new forms of income generation. We are witnessing the emergence of a "new product" which offers a solution to several diverse needs:

• people in rural areas can't make a living as farmers and are looking for alternative, non-agricultural ways of making ends meet;
• many people have increased leisure as a result of a shorter working week and a longer weekend;
• more and more city dwellers want to escape from the pressures of urban life and enjoy themselves in the country, not too far from home, but far enough from the time-clock at work.

Combine all of these and you get the product known as "Rural Tourism." It's a new product and is arousing interest among many planners involved in the creation of employment in both the developed and the developing worlds.

In Israel, in recent years, rural tourism has snowballed, as more and more country folk convert parts of their property into "guest rooms." The originality and imagination demonstrated in these different types of accommodation are simply amazing - old houses restored with modern facilities, farmhouse rooms now available for tourists because the farmer's children have grown up and left home, farmhouse buildings such as hen coops and packing houses metamorphosed into guest rooms, extensions built onto the existing house, or close to it, as specially designed guest rooms.... The list is endless and people's creativity knows no bounds. The rural tourist may find any or all of these at varying levels of sophistication and comfort.

Some settlements have oriented their plans for economic development around tourism. One example of this is the town of Rosh Pina in the Upper Galilee, which, though founded in 1882, was until recently considered to be remote and of no tourist interest whatsoever, other than for filling up the car with gas on the journey north or south. Then the local council decided to invest funds, time and thought in encouraging tourism. Rosh Pina's master plan under the direction of local Mayor Aaron Berenson now reflects its policy of creating a supportive environment for encouraging the tourist industry. This includes "land use" for tourism and gives a clear indication of the process required for approval of establishing tourist units with all the necessary infrastructure. The appearance of the town has been improved and attractive signposts have been put up. Some of the newly-restored, original public buildings have been offered for rent at attractively subsidized rates, thus enabling business initiatives to start up.

The town has evolved into a pilgrimage site where tourists now flock to visit the lovely old stone houses, the beautiful gardens, the excellent audio-visual presentation illustrating the history of the settlement, and the many small businesses, such as art galleries and craft shops, restaurants and coffee houses which have recently opened in the restored area of the old town. Travelers en route to the Upper Galilee, the Golan Heights or the Mount Hermon ski slopes find it an attractive and convenient staging post. There is hardly a free bed to be found there at weekends!

The flow of tourists to the town has enabled many small enterprises to flourish like mushrooms after rainfall, and these vividly demonstrate the multiplier effect which is so important in economic development. Indeed, of the approximately 530 households in the town, about 70 are in some way involved in the tourist business. Similarly, the existence of a small town which attracts tourists serves as both encouragement and support for rural tourism in the surrounding agricultural settlements.

Tourists stay in guest rooms in small villages in the vicinity because of the lure of the nearby town with all its attractions. They come from the big cities, where they are on the run all week, to delight in the fresh air and peace and quiet of the countryside with its greenery and its healthier environment. Here lies the appeal of the guest rooms (also called "zimmer," as in Europe, or B&B - Bed & Breakfast).

There are different styles of accommodation to suit everyone. A person seeking solitude may stay in a log cabin among the trees. Someone looking for a way to get to know people living a country life may find a warm family that opens its home to guests and provides food and drink from the fruits of its own labour.

Then there are all the natural country pastimes which lend themselves to the development of projects which harmonize with the environment. The Upper Galilee Tourism Board, headed by Moshe Attia, encourages initiatives to develop many different attractions. Statistics show that 95% of the guest rooms in the Upper Galilee are used for domestic tourism, occupied by Israelis, many on family holidays. After eating well and spending a quiet and comfortable night in restful surroundings they seek out active experiences to fill their day. Thus we find the availability of horseback riding, canoeing down the Jordan River (highly recommended by the MCTC participants!), demonstrations of bee-keeping, honey making, fruit picking and so forth.

As a recent development project, the reflooding of the Hula Valley stands out. Fifty years ago the swamps were drained to provide badly needed agricultural land, but at the expense of the regional flora and fauna. It is amazing to see how quickly they are all returning - the papyrus plants, the freshwater fish, the birds on their migration path to and from Africa and Europe. The Head of the Hula Restoration Project, Giora Shacham, spoke vividly to the MCTC students about the tourism potential, as yet not fully realized, around this reflooded area, with minimum damage to the environment.

As Violetta Stoynova, Head of the Department of International and Public Relations and lecturer in the Geography of Tourism and Environment at the College of Tourism in Bourgas, Bulgaria, pointed out, the Upper Galilee development, like other areas of Israel explored during the four-week workshop, served as a good example of cooperation and joint effort of "government, local authorities and entrepreneurs to work as partners to build and make a garden of their country." Many of the participants were inspired and impressed by the range of tourist attractions that the Upper Galilee region offers, and the concept of rural tourism, as demonstrated throughout the country, gave many of them a wider perspective on the possibilities waiting to be developed back home.

Maria Baryamujara, a Board Member of the Ugandan Tourist Board and operator of a travel agency in Entebbe, noted that the course opened her eyes to the potential which exists for people in her country to concentrate on ecological tourism, selling local produce and souvenirs and not having to change their lifestyles or move to town.

It did indeed seem that being far from home enabled the participants to look around objectively, and appreciate the potential waiting to be realized in the rural areas of their own countries. Perhaps all planners should distance themselves from time to time from their own reality, look around from a different perspective and see just how many resources for development do exist, which simply go unnoticed from close-up! We so often take our own natural environment for granted, without realizing that it may be of interest, even fascination, to people who come from different surroundings.