The shutdown of Dead Sea hotels and a new mall has ended. With foreign tourism at a standstill, Israelis are filling the void.
Alina Klimenko, a saleswoman at Glam 42, a store in the Dead Sea's Ein Bokek mall, was pleasantly surprised by the local tourism on display. "The return of tourist traffic was more than I expected," she said. "I was sure there would be no tourists and no people after closure and the gloomy news forecasts. But there is traffic, Israelis are coming and buying since there are no flights leaving the country."
Ira Aleksinko, a resident of Arad who came to spend time with her friends, was glad she came. "We came here today to have a fun day at the beach and enjoy every moment after the corona. We had been stuck inside for so long and were so happy to find this amazing mall with so many options. There is no need to go abroad when you can have fun here every moment."