Holy(day) land: wellness, healing and relaxation in Mandatory Palestine

Abstract

Leisure, wellness and recreation–new trends in Western countries in the nineteenth century–migrated to Palestine and took root during the British Mandate period. Where the land’s visitors had once come for the holy sites, local agents now took advantage of the land’s nature, climate, and views to attract a new type of tourism. Wellness tourism developed in various locations, initiated by both local authorities and private companies. Three case studies illustrate the diversity of the emerging culture: beach life, as demonstrated in the evolution of Tel Aviv’s shoreline; healing waters, such as Tiberias’s hot springs industry; and wellness resorts established on kibbutzim. Each exploited its own natural resources and demographic to draw in a new type of tourist, inspired by the success of similar tourism in Europe.