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| Church of Scotland hotel to be compensated by Israel
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The Church of Scotland hotel in Tiberias
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JERUSALEM (EJP)--- The Church of Scotland hotel is to seek compensation from the Israeli government for loss of revenue after a hotel it owns in Tiberias, northern Israel, was forced to closed for a month during the recent war with Lebanese group Hezbollah.
The Scots Hotel, recently named “Boutique of the Year” in Israel, suffered greatly from a lack of foreign tourism during July and August as Tiberias was consistently attacked by Hezbollah with Katyushas throughout the 34-day conflict.
The Israeli government has already stated that it intends to compensate hotels for their loss of revenue. The Scots Hotel, as it is known, had 70 percent of its guests in 2005 as tourists and pilgrims.
“Crisis, worst time for tourism”
Walter Dunlop, associate secretary for Israel and Palestine with the Kirk’s Board of World Mission, returned from a visit to the hotel last week. Dunlop told Scottish newspaper the Sunday Herald, “Business has recovered with the locals, but a lot of tour groups have cancelled.
“We are fortunate that a lot of our business and marketing is targeted at Israelis rather than the foreign market, but a substantial number of our visitors are with tour groups. And this crisis couldn’t have happened at a worse time for tour group tourism.”
The Israeli government is said to be preparing a scheme to evaluate a hotel’s losses by comparing the occupancy rate of last year to the same period of time this year during the fighting. The government will then be able to determine the amount of revenue lost due to the conflict.
“I think, in the circumstances, we are doing very well, all things considered. Hopefully the compensation from the government will cover our costs,” Dunlop said.
Tourist industry is used to wars
Shimon Kipnits, the general manger of the hotel was not so optimistic. Kipnits suggested that it will take up to eight months for the hotel to get back on its feet.
“It is a hard situation, not just for us, but for a lot of businesses. Every few years we have wars, unfortunately. You get used to it and the tourism business gets used to it,” Kipnits remarked.
The hotel itself was opened in 2004 on the site of the first hospital in Tiberias. It is of particular significance for Christian tourists as it overlooks the Sea of Galilee, which plays an important part in the New Testament.
The Israel Incoming Tourist Association said that the Israeli tourism sector had lost more than £78m because of the crisis, which overall led to 1.5 million visitors cancelling trips.
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