Article featuring Palestine widely published in Germany

The Holy Land Incoming Tour Operators Association (HLITOA) hosted German travel write Mrs. Dagmar Gehm in May 2017 in Palestine. Now her article aboute the “Unexpected Palestine” was widely published in the German media.

In May 2017, HLITOA, supported by Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH, hosted German travel writer and author Mrs. Dagmar Gehm while she was researching for her latest travel article featuring the “Unexpected Palestine”.

For a week, Mrs. Gehm traveled extensively through Palestine, discovering the well known and still hidden gems of the country. During her trip, she was accompanied by German tourism developer and marketing expert Sebastian D. Plötzgen and young Palestinian tour guides Ayat Bakri, Noor Mahmoud, Haneen Hanna, and Mohammad Almahsiry and met with numerous tourism stakeholders and destinations experts.

Intensive traveling throughout Palestine

The tourism graduates took Mrs. Gehm on a trip through their home-country, sharing their individual perspectives, stories, and hopes for Palestine and their personal ambitions and dreams in the Palestinian tourism sector.

Stops on Mrs. Gehm’s route included Ramallah and Birzeit, Jenin, Burqin, and Qabatiya, Sebastia and Nablus, Jericho and Nabi Musa, Hebron and Bethlehem.

Publications in German media

In early December, the result of her intensive research was published widely in the German media including a wide range of online media such like:

Some impressions from the trip

Acknowledgements

Thanks also to all those who helped to introduce Mrs. Gehm to authentic Palestinian hospitality!

The success of the project would not have been possible without the continuous support of all partners involved (in alphabetical order). Thank you all!

  • Abu Akram Njoum (Bedouin Lifestyle, Jericho)
  • Abu Ibrahim (for his safe and excellent driving and his never-fading smile)
  • Alaa Sayej (Birzeit Brewery)
  • Ashraf Bakri, Viviana Valerio, Abed Bakri (Aubergine Inn, Jericho, Nabi Musa Rehabilitation Project) and their donkeys Amanda and Rasputin, who became instant friends with Mrs. Gehm
  • Ayat Bakri (Palestinian tour guide graduate, Hebron)
  • Bahi Bashir (Taybeh Honey, Taybeh)
  • Fares Sarafandi (Palestinian journalist and television producer, Ramallah)
  • Fouad Muaddi (Visitor Information, Ramallah)
  • George Rishmawi (Masar Ibrahim)
  • Gerold Schwarz (GIZ, Private Sector Development Programme)
  • Haneen Hanna (Palestinian tour guide graduate, Taybeh/Bethlehem) and her family for their hospitality in Taybeh
  • Haythma Ikhmais (documentary film making student, Dar al-Kalima University College, Bethlehem)
  • Ibrahim Handal (documentary film making student, Dar al-Kalima University College, Bethlehem)
  • Ihab Jabari (HLITOA)
  • Iyad Hamdan (who thankfully facilitated special entrance to Hisham Palace on a closing day)
  • Kadra Zreineh (Palestinian general tour guide, Beit Jala)
  • Margo Tarazi (Nabi Musa Rehabilitation Project, Universal Tourist Agency, Jerusalem)
  • Michael Awad (HLITOA, SIRAJ Center)
  • Mohammed Almahsiry (Palestinian tour guide for Bethlehem district, Dheisheh) and his family for their hospitality in Dheisheh
  • Naser Kaabna (Palestinian hiking guide, Al-Auja)
  • Noor Mahmoud (Palestinian tour guide for Jenin and Nablus district, Qabatiya/Bethlehem)
  • Osama Hamdan and his whole team (Mosaic Center, Jericho, Mosaic Guesthouse Sebastiya and Nisf Jubeil)
  • Richard Elias (Golden Gate Tours and Travel)
  • Saleh al-Tamemi (Guesthouse in Hebron)
  • Samer Qawasmi (for introducing Mrs. Gehm to Ramallah nightlife)
  • Sami Khoury (HLITOA, visitPalestine.ps)
  • Sebastian D. Plötzgen (consultant for tourism development and marketing, ATS Pro Terra Sancta, Mosaic Center)