Tourism in the Middle East can sometimes be an unsettling, even dangerous, experience. Israeli-Palestinian violence and the September 11 terrorist attacks have devastated the travel industry in Egypt, Lebanon and Jordan. Israel recorded only 1.2 million visitors last year, a decline of 55 percent. So many tourists have been scared away that Israel’s Tourism minister has proposed offering bulletproof vehicles for travel to archeological sites on the occupied West Bank. Yet for intrepid tourists willing to ignore U.S. State Department advisories and travel at their own risk, this can be a terrific time to explore the Middle East. Air fares and hotel rooms are cheap. Crowds are nonexistent. And contrary to what one might expect, most Arabs continue to welcome Americans. In my travels as NEWSWEEK’s Jerusalem bureau chief, I’ve never had a moment’s anxiety. My sightseeing experiences have been extraordinary: riding a camel at sunset past the Pyramids of Giza, hiking through ripening fields of pomegranates above the Sea of Galilee, diving in the translucent waters of the Red Sea.
Some destinations are decidedly dicey. Suicide bombings have set Israeli cities on edge. Jerusalem’s landmark King David Hotel has slashed its staff, and several top restaurants have closed. Religious shrines are tensely guarded. The situation is worse in Palestinian areas. Nearly all hotels in East Jerusalem have gone bust (the popular American Colony is one exception, subsisting on a clientele of journalists).
But if you can get past your initial fears, you’ll discover that most of Israel hasn’t been touched by terrorism, and hotels are offering bargains. In Tiberias, some lakeside lodges now have “family rates” of $40 a night and throw in free lift tickets for the nearby ski resort in the Golan Heights. True, Mount Hermon may not be another Chamonix, but the snow this winter has been the best in years, and the sight of Orthodox Jewish women in long dresses skiing alongside kaffiyeh-wearing Israeli Arabs is heartening.
At the other end of Israel lies the Port of Elat, the rather brash gateway to desert treks and the Red Sea, where four-star hotel rooms are now going for as low as $19 a night. Across the way, along Egypt’s Sinai coast, such resorts as the Dahab Hilton are about 2 percent occupied, but the splendid diving and pristine shoreline make up for the eerie absence of beachgoers.
The rest of Egypt is faring no better. Visitors to the Pyramids are down by 90 percent, as I discovered when I arrived in Giza one afternoon last month–peak season–and was set upon by a ravenous pack of tour guides who looked as if they hadn’t seen a foreigner in months. Egypt is generally safe, by all accounts, and a better bargain than ever. Luxury hotel rooms along the Nile in Cairo can be had for $50 a night. In Jordan, Israel’s other “peace partner,” the threat of terrorism seems to have receded, but the famous sandstone ruins at Petra still attract few visitors.
In Lebanon, the scars of the 15-year civil war that ended in 1991 are ubiquitous. Still, with the withdrawal of Israeli forces two years ago, the country has begun promoting itself as a holiday destination. In Beirut, a dozen luxury hotels have sprung up along the lively seaside promenade known as the Corniche. And the elegant Ashrafieh neighborhood in Christian east Beirut, with its quaint streets, four-star restaurants and ubiquitous sounds of French, could pass for a piece of Paris.
For my money, Lebanon’s greatest attraction lies in a two-hour drive east of Beirut in the Bekaa Valley, long a haunt of hashish growers, smugglers and militias and now ruled by Hizbullah. These days the Bekaa is quiet. I spent hours one morning clambering in near solitude over the monumental temples of Jupiter, Venus and Mercury, built between the second and third centuries. At night, I put up at the Palmyra Hotel directly across the road from the ruins, a seedy yet atmospheric mansion that played host to Kaiser Wilhelm II and Winston Churchill. Smoking a water pipe known as a nargile and feasting on hummus while gazing at the ruins glowing in the moonlight, a visitor is likely to feel far removed from the blood feuds and extremism of the Middle East. But there’s always that Hizbullah gang across the road to remind you of exactly where you are.
Safety First
Touring the Region:
Skiing Mount Hermon: The slopes are patrolled by Israeli ski troops in white coveralls. Sporadic gunfire can be heard a couple of mountains away.
