Sukkot comes early this year and vacation reservations have been heavy. But worries about a U.S. attack are deterring some travelers.
By Rina Rozenberg for Haaretz
The
children are barely back in school and another holiday season is
already upon us. For many families, whether they vacation abroad over
Sukkot, which begins on the evening of September 18, depends on what
happens in Washington."Everything now depends on whether or not the U.S. attacks Syria,"says Eyal Kashdan, CEO of the Flying Carpet travel agency. “The proximity of the holidays to the summer, with the weather perfect and the fact that some people put off their vacation to Sukkot, means a very good holiday – on condition that the uncertainty dissipates.”
Reservations began falling as Washington put on the heat at the end of August, Kashdan says, and many families are still waiting to see what happens.
Arkia Deputy CEO David Mahlev says his airline has added four flights to Rhodes on the intermediate days of Sukkot, with families typically travelling for five nights on average. That is up from three last year, because the holiday falls in the middle of September, which promises better weather than last year, when it came at the beginning of October. On the other hand, strong demand means that prices on packages are higher by several percent than last year.
As for vacationing in Israel, as of last week there were still plenty of hotel rooms available throughout the country and family suites weren't hard to find. But this situation isn't expected to last, according to industry sources.
"That's how it always is: It's only when we get close to Sukkot that Israelis start thinking about it and begin booking, especially in Eilat," says Yael Tamir, vice president at Gulliver Tourism. "Even more so this year, because the holidays are close to August and many people still haven't absorbed the fact that the they are already upon us. I'm sure that after Rosh Hashanah things will start to wake up."
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