More than half a million Israelis visited the UAE during the two years of normalization
The Associated Press revealed that more than half a million Israelis visited the UAE within two years of the declaration of normalization between Abu Dhabi and Tel Aviv.
However, the agency highlighted, on the other hand, the weak turnout of Emiratis to visit Israel, which reflects the imbalance in normalization relations and the popular Emirati rejection of the policies of its ruling regime.
The agency stated that when Israel agreed with the UAE to open diplomatic relations in 2020, it brought an exciting sense of accomplishment to a long-time pariah country in the Middle East.
Officials insisted that Israel’s new relations with the UAE soon after Bahrain would bypass governments and become community-wide treaties, fueling mass tourism and friendly exchanges between people long at odds.
But in the two years since the two agreements, the expected influx of tourists from the Gulf Arab states to Israel has been little more than small. Although more than half a million Israelis flocked to Abu Dhabi and Dubai, only 1,600 Emirati citizens visited Israel.
According to the Israeli Ministry of Tourism, it does not know the number of Bahrainis who visited Israel because it said that “the numbers are very small.”
“It’s still a very strange and delicate situation,” said Morsi Hajjeh, head of the Arabic-speaking Tour Guides Forum in Israel. The Emiratis feel like they did something wrong in coming here.”
Experts say the lack of Emirati and Bahraini tourists reflects Israel’s longstanding image problem in the Arab world and reveals the limits of the Abraham Accords.
Although bilateral trade between Israel and the UAE rose from $11.2 million in 2019 to $1.2 billion last year, the agreements in the UAE and Bahrain have fallen in popularity since the deals were signed, according to a survey by The Washington Institute.
In the UAE, subsidies fell to 25% from 47% in the past two years. And in Bahrain, just 20% of the population supports the deal, down from 45% in 2020.
Israeli officials say Gulf tourism to Israel is a missing part that would transform agreements beyond security and diplomatic relations. Also, tourist visits from Egypt and Jordan, the first two countries to reach normalization with Israel, are almost non-existent.
“We need to encourage (Emiratis) to come for the first time and promote tourism so that people know each other and understand each other,” said Amir Hayek, the Israeli ambassador to the UAE.
Israeli tourism officials travelled to the UAE last month in a marketing campaign to spread the idea that Israel is a safe and attractive destination. The ministry said it is now targeting Tel Aviv – Israel’s commercial and entertainment hub – as a top leader for the Emiratis.
So far, tourism agents say, betting on occupied Jerusalem has backfired. Unrest in the disputed city has alienated Emiratis and Bahrainis, some of whom have faced a backlash from Palestinians who see normalization as a betrayal of their cause.
The Palestinian struggle for independence from Israel enjoys broad support throughout the Arab world.
