Eilat
EilatMoshe Shai/FLASH90

Across the country – indeed, across most of the world – hotels are shuttered, their staff on unpaid leave or dismissed, with little to look forward to in the near future. However, in the Red Sea city of Eilat, there’s a gleam of light providing hope for the locals in the form of the “Green Island” program about to get off the ground, enabling this city that is so heavily dependent on tourism to adapt to the coronavirus era and find a way of thriving amid adversity.

Arutz Sheva spoke with Shabtai Shay, the general manager of the Eilat Hotel Association, to find out exactly what the Green Island program is, and what it will mean for his city.

“First of all, it’s important to realize that Eilat is an exceptional case,” he emphasizes. “The Green Island program is unprecedented and unique – because Eilat itself is unique. We’re basically isolated from the rest of the country. There are only two roads into Eilat, from the Negev desert and from Mitzpe Ramon, which means that it’s very simple to control access into the city.”

Shay points out that while the isolated nature of the city has its advantages, in the current situation, it has left Eilat’s residents with little opportunity to adapt to the changing conditions. “Around 80% of the city’s residents make a living from tourism, either directly, in the hotels themselves, or indirectly, from the night clubs, restaurants, and shopping centers that serve the tourists,” he says. “What that means is that after eight months of lockdown, employment has soared to around 80%. Sure, there was a brief period during the summer when the government opened things up again, but other than that, it’s been a ghost town here.

“Imagine – fifty luxury hotels, with around 12,000 rooms – all empty,” he exclaims. “People were starting to seriously think about leaving, and many did – there was no future here, nothing to look forward to. Eventually, the government realized that they would have to do something, to make an exception. And that’s where this idea of a Green Island came from.”

Shay describes how the program will work, and notes that most of the preparations have already been made. “Anyone who wants to come to Eilat on vacation has to be tested for coronavirus,” he says. “Then, once he gets his negative result, he can come, and present the test result at one of the control booths on either of the two access roads I mentioned earlier. If he has a negative result from within 72 hours of arrival, he can enter. And when he gets to his hotel, he’ll be tested again. That way, we can ensure that no one brings the virus in.

“This plan has literally revitalized Eilat,” he says enthusiastically. “People are smiling again. And I see it as something significant not just for us, but for the rest of the world too. We could become an example of how to get things going again – I certainly hope that’s what will happen.”