Patterns of tourist destination-choice and travel behaviour among members of the urban and rural Arab community of Israel: A comparative study of Haifa and Ibilin

The destination-choice and travel behaviour of urban Arab-Israelis from Haifa, and rural Arab-Israelis from the village of Ibillin, are compared. The study examines the role of tradition, socio-economic background and geographical location of residence, in designing the two communities' destination-choice and travel behaviour. The results show that while socio-economic characteristics and life in a city or in a village do not differentiate between the two communities, religious affiliation does play a major role in determining the destination-choice and tourist behaviour of the two sub-communities. It was also found that the predominant factors that shape Arab-Israelis' tourist behaviour are the "familiarity factors" and that "social" rather than "personal" constraints play a major role in deciding which tourist destination is chosen. Policy oriented conclusions are presented in the light of these findings.