My uncle sees how the savings are running out • Olga counts the days until she can go back to guided tours • Ilan waits for tourists from abroad to return

Dudi Rubinstein, Tourism Advisor and Director of "Fancy Abroad"

"The sky really fell on us" Uncle Rubinstein remembers when exactly he handled the last trip planning. "It happened on February 28, and of course it did not come to fruition," recalls Rubinstein, a 47-year-old Bnei Brak resident and tourism consultant and director of "Overseas Abroad," "at the beginning of March, everything went quiet! The sky really fell on us. " 

Ben Gurion Airport is completely empty during the Corona Challenge // Photo: Shimon Yaish

"Exquisite Abroad" is a group that brings together senior officials from the aviation, tourism and recreational industries for the ultra-Orthodox and religious communities, and many of the group were invested in Passover hotels in Israel and abroad. "We have already begun to understand the terrible boom, the order cancellation graph has increased exponentially. At the beginning of March, everything fell apart! In a few weeks more and more branches joined us to the complete closure. We said to ourselves: 'Many troubles are half comforting.' Let's go back to work, but it turns out we were wrong. After Passover, gradual releases began in the economy, and nothing but us, Nada, Gornitz, forgot about us at Ben Gurion Airport. "

Since then, things have been getting worse. "The savings are running low, patience is expiring and there is no date on the horizon. There is no edge to any exit route. We were on tour agents at Ben Gurion Airport. The Airports Authority has shown us all the rigorous and meticulous preparation that has been done to open the field, the agreements with the green states, Blue Terminal and more. We have nothing left but to pray that something will start moving, that gates will sky. From there we'll recover, I wish. "

Olga Maximenko, tour guide in Italy and Spain

Since January, Olga Maximenco has had one big hope: to return to Italy and Spain - the two countries where she guides tours. "The two countries that have been hit the hardest and it just hurts," she says. 

"During the Corona I was a lot with my husband and it was good," says Olga, 56, of Ashdod. "I started working on tour training in Israel. I have a Tourism Ministry license, I have to make a living." 

As time went on, Olga made it clear that returning to the Apennine Peninsula or the Iberian Peninsula would not be around the corner. "Although Italy and Spain were the last of the mess, the return there is still far away. I love to guide Italy with all my heart, I love this country very much, but I know I will not return there before the fall.

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Even if we are allowed to go there before, I will not be able to guide there, because at this time you cannot go with a group on the street, groups will also not be allowed to enter the sites, but I believe I will be able to build trips according to the guidelines and restrictions. After all, people are very fond of Italy and I wait for them to travel. Once that happens, I'll be back to mentoring and doing the thing I love most. "

Jonathan Weiss, a guide

"The biggest difficulty is the longing for guidance - for the glittering eyes, the curiosity, the way our country is reflected and meets the variety of audiences who come here from all over the world," says Jonathan Weiss, 44, a Tel Aviv guide, "Every time, I am thrilled with people's reactions to the country, For stories that no writer or screenwriter can transcend - sites, landscapes, people, history so rich, the variety of religions and beliefs that all live in one subordinate.

Over the decade, I was privileged to mentor heads of state and governors (I was even given the privilege of mentoring Prince William a year ago), actors, CEOs and corporate and corporate heads, and they all talked about the miracle and wonder called the State of Israel. "

Weiss speaks passionately about his profession, but also the financial difficulty pecking. "2020 should have been the peak year so far for tourist arrivals, but the situation in the incoming tourism industry is worrying. Hundreds and possibly thousands of homes have been damaged, and their livelihoods have been abrupt and there is no horizon to open the sky for aircraft traffic. 

"Roadmasters are the forefront of Israeli publicity. So I would love if the state and the Ministry of Tourism are committed to preserving the roadmap's valuable asset in the hope that we too will see an economic horizon, as our Israeli publicity agents."

Sharon Spector, flight attendant at Israir

"The aviation industry is a very sensitive industry, and by early February we realized it was not going well," says Sharon Spector (48) of Givatayim, an Israeli flight attendant, "The closure of the sky was like a boom, but we knew it was coming soon. Understand how to deal with this thing. " 

Spector says the company is indeed a small company, but has entered the crisis "with a strong immune system". "Things were very neat. Of course we were worried all the time and we were still worried, but know that we have a father and mother and a supportive company that keeps us up to date." 

And what is the forecast? "I believe and very much hope that we will be back to work gradually over the next few weeks, and hope that in two or three months we will be back to full capacity. We aspire to that. We want to come back and have dreams come true. Personally, I am an aviation patient and I really miss this thing. It's an addiction, and the longing is very big.

Ilan Alcabetz, owner of the Coco Hotel in Tel Aviv

In the days before Corona, the Coco Hotel on Dizengoff Street flourished with 95% occupancy, a rifle thanks to foreign tourists. But then the virus hit and the hotel was closed for four months. "The hotel has been very successful and now we have to deal with payments: rent, suppliers and more," shares Ilan Elkabetz (44) of Herzliya, the hotel owners, "The grants we gave are on March and April, but what about May? , Even though we took out workers for free holidays. "

The hotel is now considering a gradual opening. "In the first phase we will only open on weekends and later if there is a demand we would be happy to open also midweek," says Elkbats, but broadcasts pessimism: "I do not see too much chance that there are no tourists in the country. There is no horizon for the return of foreign tourists and when they return it will be very limited It's a catastrophe. " 

If that's not enough, Alcabz's big concern is the second wave. "If there is a second wave, I don't know how much we will be able to withstand. We are optimistic and hope that it does not happen. Pray that tourists will return as soon as possible and that we can go back to running our hotel. This industry is our love and we are optimistic and waiting for the day after."