Epsilon Delta Holdings and Investments – owned by the Afifi family – won the tender to build the first hotel in a Bedouin village. The 120 room, 4 star hotel will cover an area of ​​14 dunams at the foot of Mount Tabor in the village of Shibli-Umm al-Ghanam.

Epsilon Delta Holdings and Investments, owned by the Alfifi family, have won the tender to build the first hotel in a Bedouin village and will pay the Israel Lands Authority NIS 150,000 with an exemption from the cost of leasing.  The 120 room, 4 star hotel will cover an area of ​​14 dunams at the foot of Mount Tabor in the village of Shibli-Umm al-Ghanam.

The winning developer will finance the development cost of the hotel, with the assistance of a Ministry of Tourism grant of up to 33% of the cost of the construction, subject to compliance with the conditions of the Tourism Ministry’s Investment Administration. In addition, the Ministry of Tourism has recently approved a budget for the establishment of a tourism infrastructure in the village, which is strategically located in terms of tourism potential, near Mount Tabor and other holy sites located on pilgrim routes in Israel.

A village of about 70,000 residents, Shibli is located on the route up to the holy churches on the top of Mount Tabor and on the axis of the Gospel Trail and the Israel Trail. More than half a million tourists pass through it every year on their way to the churches.

Tourism Minister Yariv Levin: “I welcome the establishment of the hotel, and I am convinced that tourists will enjoy its special location, its proximity to the Christian holy sites and the unique and authentic village experience. We are placing special emphasis on the development of tourism throughout Israel and all the different sectors, and I am convinced that, with the assistance of the ministry together with the establishment of tourism infrastructure in the area, tourism will develop successfully in the area. ”

Adiel Shimron, Director of the Israel Lands Authority: “Alongside efforts to market land for housing, we are also working to promote tourism and commercial projects in Israel, such as the first Bedouin hotel in the world, which will attract both incoming and domestic tourism and serve as a source of employment for the residents of the region.”

Shibli regional council head Na’im Shibli: “A luxurious and unique boutique hotel is planned, based on Bedouin culture, featuring Bedouin hospitality and healthy natural Bedouin cuisine from the Galilee. This will be a luxury hotel unlike any other in Israel, which will give an economic boost to the village and the entire region and create hundreds of jobs in the hotel itself and the surrounding tourist industry.”