What role does tourism have in peacebuilding and reconciliation between Israelis and Palestinians?

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Reconciliation and peace are emerging themes in tourism, with various post-conflict countries offering tours focused on peacebuilding. In the last few years, reconciliation tourism initiatives, which are defined as tourism services in which reconciliation is a major theme, have been also introduced in Israel and the Palestinian territories in the West Bank, amidst ongoing conflicts. Professor Yaniv Belhassen, of the Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, explores eight organizations that have offered such tours. His analysis suggests that ideas about reconciliation in these tours have shared characteristics in the way they are manifested in the travel experiences offered to tourists. In doing so, this study illuminates the symbolic role of tourism as a cultural arena with a transformative potential where ideas about peacebuilding can be imagined even in the places where conflicts are still active.