The municipality of Rahat has approved a large-scale tourism initiative that will see 500 guesthouses constructed throughout the city over the coming decade.

More than 250,000 Bedouins – a sect of tribal nomadic Muslim Arabs – reside in Israel, with the majority concentrated in Rahat and villages across the southern Negev Desert.

The city has a population of over 77,000 people, according to the latest figures released by Israel’s Central Bureau of Statistics.

Located roughly 60 miles from Israel’s main population centers, Rahat has never been a major draw for tourists.

Mahmud Alamour, CEO of the Rahat Economic Company, is hoping to change that with a 10-year plan that includes buildings hundreds of guesthouses and launching new cultural festivals.

“The establishment of the guesthouses will provide a place to stay for hundreds of visitors from Israel and the world who wish to come and get to know Bedouin culture in the Negev,” Alamour said in a statement that was shared with The Media Line. “I hope that the establishment of new guesthouses in Rahat will lead to more and more people from Israel and the world coming to stay with us, help break down stigmas and barriers, and allow [guests] to enjoy the tradition of Bedouin hospitality that we know how to provide”.

Rahat’s local Planning and Building Committee recently approved Alamour’s plan to construct 500 guest house units in the city. The move is part of a massive joint initiative spearheaded by the Rahat Economic Company together with the Bedouin Tourism Development Authority.

The project is also part of a broader program that aims to boost tourism to the area, which in recent years has seen several new festivals and events welcome Israeli visitors.

Photo: Matya Shick