2019 was an exciting year for tourism at Project Wadi Attir, with approximately 8,400 local and international tourists visiting the project.
The ecotourism program is an important initiative of Project Wadi Attir, serving to increase exposure of the project’s unique approach to sustainability, and facilitate understanding of the Bedouin life and culture to broad audiences. We’re incredibly excited that 2019 has been our best year yet for tourism. Tour groups were made up of individuals from all walks of life, including government officials, student groups, retirees, philanthropists, and more, and we worked with a record number of 70 different tourism agents, guides, and government offices. We also launched fruitful new collaborations, such as with the Birthright program, which will start sending groups to Project Wadi Attir in 2020.
Social influencer group at Project Wadi Attir with Ghadir Hani, Director of Tourism (forth from left)
The tourism department is led by Ghadir Hani, a founding member of Project Wadi Attir, who has big plans for the future of the program. In 2020, Ghadir will strive to approximately double the number of visitors who come to the site, hire new guides, host new events and workshops, and increase revenues from both tourism and sales of the project’s many products, which will help further the project along the path to financial independence.
In discussing the program, Ghadir remarked, “I am very happy to be the director of the tourism department at Project Wadi Attir. I enjoy meeting with the tour groups and talking about the dream that we have achieved at the project. I have been able to attract many tourism agents in the country by talking about the Arab community in the Negev and challenging the prejudices about the community, particularly in showing that we have managed to live in a sustainable way. I find my job as the director of the tourism department a great opportunity to contribute to the project’s mission. Working in tourism at Project Wadi Attir is very special.”
Please enjoy some photos from 2019 in tourism at Project Wadi Attir.
International youth group visiting Project Wadi Attir
A group of professors from the United States visiting Project Wadi Attir through the Jewish National Fund
A group of retirees from the Druze community enjoying the Bedouin hospitality tent at Project Wadi Attir
A panel of female entrepreneurs in collaboration with various local organizations hosted at Project Wadi Attir