Abraham Group (Hostels and Tours) has been honored with the prestigious 2025 Global Youth Travel Award in the category of “Best Local Community Engagement”. This significant win provides a much-needed breath of hope and pride for the Israeli tourism company, which has consistently demonstrated that compassion, involvement, and social responsibility can be instrumental in healing and that tourism can truly have a soul.

The award was presented yesterday at the WYSTC (World Youth & Student Travel Conference) Global Convention in Lisbon, Portugal. The annual WYSE Travel Confederation awards recognize organizations and individuals who exhibit leadership, creativity, and a commitment to advancing responsible and sustainable youth travel.

The judging panel’s commendations highlighted the Abraham Group’s rapid and profound social response during the ongoing conflict: “The Abraham Group demonstrated over the past two years how a tourism business can transform into a genuine social catalyst. The group immediately converted its hostels in Jerusalem, Tel Aviv, and Eilat into emergency centers for hundreds of displaced families, and in cooperation with the Ministry of Education, established temporary educational facilities that created a sense of home for the children”.

The company’s innovative programs extended beyond immediate shelter. They launched ‘Abraham’s Tent’, a groundbreaking program developed with the Gvanim association, focusing on trauma and grief care for friends and family circles. This initiative, which includes peer workshops and therapy circles, evolved from an emergency solution into a recognized research model that is gaining academic recognition and being presented at national conferences.

Furthermore, the Abraham Group’s ingenuity shines in its ‘Impact Tours’ to the Gaza Envelope—a unique initiative aimed at strengthening the affected communities. Despite the severe crisis in the tourism sector, the group turned the challenge into an opportunity for community reinforcement, proving that responsible tourism can serve as a force for healing and unity.

While recognizing its crisis-time efforts, the award also underscores the Abraham Group’s deeply embedded community-centric approach. In recent years, the company has developed innovative community tourism models, including: “Voices and Communities” Tours: Visitors are guided by residents of the Gaza Envelope, who share their personal recovery processes; “Galilee Mosaic” Tours: Featuring Druze and Circassian guides; “Another Acre” and “Tel Aviv Mobilizes” unique experiences.

“We believe that tourism can and should be a powerful tool for social change”, said Gilad Shauloff, CEO of the Abraham Group. “Community engagement and social and environmental responsibility are not just values we advocate for; they are an integral part of how we operate. Our hostels are not just places to sleep – they are hubs for community activity that forge genuine connections between guests and local communities, supporting local businesses and creating a positive, lasting impact on the environment in which we operate”.

This marks the fourth time the Abraham Group has won a prestigious international award in the independent travel and hostel sector. The award is considered one of the most respected and influential in the independent and social tourism segment, and its significance is particularly pronounced given the difficulties and challenges facing Israeli tourism today.