Greek mythology tells how the gods Zeus and Hermes came to earth disguised as common people, and checked who would agree to host them for the night. Door after door, they were repeatedly rejected by the locals in the Kingdom of Phrygia, until they encountered a poor, elderly and childless couple - Baukis and Philemon, who decided to share their meager food with their guests.
At the end of the meal, Zeus was about to demolish the townhouses that refused to host him, and ordered Baukis and Philemon to leave the town and climb a nearby mountain, without looking back. Upon reaching the summit, the couple saw that their town had been destroyed in the flood, except for their home which had been turned into a temple. In response to their wish, Zeus leaves them to become guardians of the Temple and, in time, die together.
Quite a few myths and stories have been linked around the culture of hospitality, which also represents in real reality a basic and universal truth, a deep cultural value, transcending continents and peoples - in one change: everywhere, religion and period host us a little differently. In the ancient world, hospitality was considered a divine duty, in Islam it was a great commandment, and in Christianity it was associated with mercy and charity.
But why, in the first place, did hospitality become meaningful? "I think first and foremost the reason is survival: in the past, especially in areas with challenging terrain and climate, hospitality and helping people on their journeys were essential for survival. This practice of helping foreigners in distress has become a moral imperative, and thus has become woven into the fabric of many cultures and religions," explains Prof. Amir Shani, Head of the Department of Tourism and Leisure Management at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev.
"The value of hospitality is also essential to our survival in terms of maintaining peace. Hospitality has been and still is used to strengthen ties between families, tribes or clans. Hospitality was also perceived as an important value economically and served as a means of fostering fruitful economic relations between merchants."
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Inevitably, when it comes to hospitality, the main attention is attracted by exotic places, which usually offer unique, different and sometimes dubious hospitality experiences, much different from the ushpizin we know from Sukkot. "There is no doubt that the strangest hospitality experience was customary among the Inuit, Eskimo peoples living in the Arctic Circle, where it was customary for the host to offer his wife to the guest for the night," Shani explains.
"It was a symbolic gesture of hospitality and a mutual expression of trust between host and guest. It should be noted that although the host's wife was offered to the guest as a sleeping companion, they usually did not have sex. The goal was to help the guest warm up in the extreme cold conditions."
Prof. Shani tells of another custom that almost transgresses what many Israeli children grew up with: "In China, there is an expectation that the guest will leave food on his plate at the end of the meal. If you finish all the food you were served, it might imply that the host didn't provide you with enough food, which can be embarrassing for them."
What happens in less developed, more tribal places?
"African hospitality emphasizes community, family and closeness. More specifically, the Maasai of Kenya and northern Tanzania see spitting as a kind of greeting and a sign of respect for guests and friends. A guest and host greeting each other will spit into their palms before shaking hands."
But Kenya and Tanzania are not the only countries that are unique in the African landscape. For example, Ami Mehl, who served as ambassador to Ghana from 2018 to 2015, noticed something strange during his stay. During his tenure, he attended several funerals and saw no signs of sadness, on the contrary: people gathered at a certain point, dressed identically, and then danced, sang, ate and rejoiced. "It amazed me," Mehl recalls, "funerals there are much happier than weddings. They call it the celebration of life. When a person dies, he connects with his ancestors, which is marked by a large event that is hospitality in itself."
Weddings in Ghana, it is important to understand, usually amount to a church ceremony, while funerals, for rich and poor alike, are a celebration. "It's possible that in the grave itself, where only the small family usually goes, you can see some expression of sadness, although I've never been to the graves themselves," says Mehl.
"As a rule," he adds, "Ghanaians are friendly and nice, and this is evident in every hospitality." To confirm this, Dr. Kwasi Ampopo, a Ghanaian resident, joins the conversation. "Ghanaians are very hospitality-oriented, they love to entertain, and they like to make people feel at home," he explains, "They will want you to settle into their home and feel welcome."
Funerals are happier than weddings. Ghana, last month, photo: AFP
What is unique about Ghanaian hospitality?
"First, they'll let you drink water, assuming you've come a long way. Then they'll give you food, and then they'll probably ask you what task you're staying at their home for. The accommodation depends on the time you arrived. If it's lunch time, for example, they'll give you lunch and find you a place to sleep. That's the tradition."
While this is not necessarily the case for Ghana, how does poverty in some African countries affect how they host?
"I've been to several countries in Africa, and I've noticed that they will always welcome you, offer water and food, no matter how poor they are."
Amazon: radicalizing foreignness
To the bystander, the rituals of hospitality in the Amazon tribe create great panic. Guests gather in one of the houses, disguised as harmful animals and destructive forces of nature, and at one point destroy the roof of the building with pitchfork-like tools. At the same time, guests disguised as monkeys disturb the order and harass women; Others are disguised as woodpeckers and, using axes, pound the internal beams of the structure. Some locals are terrified, others amused.
"It's a scary experience. There is a feeling that the whole structure will collapse within moments, but it is also clear to everyone that this is part of a ritual," recalls anthropologist Eliran Arazi, a doctoral student in the Department of Sociology and Anthropology at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, who studies aspects of power, hierarchy and control of knowledge and territory in indigenous societies in the Colombian Amazon.
"Scary experience." Preparing for a local hospitality ceremony in the Amazon, photo: Eliran Arazi
Eventually, even through a special local drink, "Maniquera", tempers calm down. "This event was meant to mark the retirement ceremony of one of the locals, who was also the landlord. By calming the spirits, he demonstrates the control over animals and nature he demonstrated during his ceremonial career, symbolically by regulating guests who have come to cause harm.
"Hospitality in the Amazon is based on an antagonistic perception of both sides, and the meeting situation in many Amazon cultures exacerbates the gaps between guest and host," Arazi continues. "A study by anthropologist Alexandre Sorles, for example, has shown that when the Candoshi people in Peru stay with each other, they radicalize their foreignness, wear war-colored makeup, and wear feathers, necklaces and fangs of predators to exacerbate their danger."
Why, actually?
"It has to do with the prevailing perception in the Amazon, which sees humans and animals on the same axis. The farther away a person lives from you, and the farther away from you in his family, the closer he is probably to the animal world, and animals are something to stay away from and watch out for. Moreover, the natives have specific procedures to make the meat they eat so that it won't hurt them, because the animals are always trying to harm humans."
Arazi explains that even the guest, who apparently comes from the forest world, must be subjected to a kind of techniques designed to train him, while feeding him certain things, such as coca and tobacco, designed to change the status and intentions of the person who comes to stay.
I ask Arazi, in light of all the fear inherent in the hospitality experience, why stay in the first place. "Sometimes," he explains, "you have to find partners, cooperate in wars, and today also coordinate positions with government agencies, corporations and organizations that want to operate in their territories."
In his research, Arazi focused on the Anduka tribe, indigenous people from the Amazon. He lived with them for about a year and studied their set of beliefs and customs characterized by animism - that is, the attribution of the soul to the beings of nature, including the animate, vegetative, and inanimate.
"The Anduka are actually made up of sub-peoples," Arazi continues, "and there are rules that must be observed when visiting the Maluka, a large house where the 'captain' from the other tribe lives. When men criticize each other, they respect each other with coca and tobacco, substances whose preparation involves a lot of ethics and is encoded in important myths. When I honor you with the coca and tobacco I made, you learn about me and my adherence to the rules of our culture – even before we speak. When women visit each other, they often bring fruit from their garden trees, and the hostess buries the seeds in the ground, adding something of the guest's to her garden.
"However," Arazi qualifies, "when a person comes to someone else's Maluka, he is not allowed to sit in front of his host. They don't look each other in the face, it's perceived as a threat. Moreover, the maluka is built in such a way that in front of the main entrance there is a male and female area. The front of the house is the male area, and the back is the female area. So if you sit face to face and look at your host, you're also looking at his wife and daughters, and that's considered a serious thing."
Eliran Arazi: "In the Amazon, a guest is not allowed to sit in front of the host. They don't look each other in the face, it's perceived as a threat. The house is built in such a way that in front of the entrance there is a male area and a female area. If you look at your host, you'll also look at his wife and daughters, and that's a serious thing."
Even Arazi himself, certainly as a foreign guest who came from outside, encountered antagonism from the locals. "It wasn't clear to them exactly what I wanted. There is suspicion towards researchers that we will take knowledge from them and not return it, or whether we will use this knowledge against them. They tell you about a kind of UFO that operates at night in the Amazon, cutting off people's heads and internal organs, where knowledge is accumulated, and leaving banknotes inside. They tell it with a half-smile, as a rumor, to make sure you're not like that. But over time, the longer I stayed and shared things about my culture and my life, including my participation in their projects and also creating food tributes that I brought, from Colombia and Israel, an exchange was created that allayed the fears."
Korea: Celebration at the Tomb
The eighth month of the Korean lunar year is marked annually in Korea as Choseok, a three-day Thanksgiving. The essence of the holiday is thanksgiving to the moon and the ancestors of the family for the rice crop, or in other words - the Korean harvest festival. However, there is a significant difference between this holiday and our Sukkot: in Korea, family members go to the graves of their ancestors, and in front of their graves lay out a table full of food and alcohol, which the dead loved throughout their lives. During the ceremony, the locals also smoke with the dead, sometimes dressed in the traditional garment - hanbuk, line up at the side of the tomb and bow towards it.
For the holiday, families from around Seoul are staying in the countryside, which usually includes plots of land and large, traditional houses near the family grave plots. "It's a major holiday, during which you can actually physically see Seoul emptying out. It's an unusual sight there," explains Dr. Liora Sarfati, head of the Department of East Asian Studies at Tel Aviv University. "During the holiday there is joy, singing and dancing, and in fact there is double hospitality here. Hospitality in the villages on the one hand, and hospitality in which the dead host the living."
Culinary in front of the grave. Choseok holiday in Korea, photo: Liora Sarfati
This holiday is remembered several generations back. This is not trivial.
"Students in Israel don't know what their great-grandfather or great-grandmother were called, whereas in Korea the whole family is supposed to know the names of four or five generations back. Children also participate in the holiday and go to the graves, so a strong awareness of the lineage is created. It has to do with the traditions of Confucius, who held that in order to live in harmony, a person must respect his ancestors."
Isn't the matter of honor harmed when those who go to the graves drink and get drunk?
"Over time, they inevitably get drunk, and that's not considered a negative thing, as long as the behavior is respectful. The thought is that the dead miss the things they loved in their lives, alcohol and food for example, and the holidays are an opportunity to honor and share them. The supermarket chains prepare with food packaged in gift packages for this holiday, some of which will eventually go to meals shared with the dead. These packages are sold in hundreds, and sometimes thousands, of shekels. Families bring gifts worth thousands of shekels to the Choseok celebrations, and it's usually food."
What does a person who does not have a grave do to reach him? That is, a person living abroad, for example?
"החג יביא גם אנשים שמגיעים מחוץ לקוריאה, אבל למי שלא מגיע יש פעמים רבות מעין מקדש סמלי קטן בביתו - שולחן או מדף עם תמונת המת, ולידם מונח מאכל סמלי. מעבר לכך, יש אנשים המתגוררים היום בדרום קוריאה ונאחזים במסורת, אולם במקור הם מצפון קוריאה. מדובר על כמה מיליונים שעברו לדרום, ואין להם קברים לפקוד לאחר שהגבול נסגר ב־1953. לכן גם הם יצרו כמה מקומות אירוח ופולחן לחג הצ'וסוק, בסמוך לגבול עם צפון קוריאה. יש גם מתים שמקום קבורתם לא נודע, ולכן לאנדרטה יש חשיבות. הם קדים מול האנדרטה, מניחים אוכל לכבוד המת וממש מתנצלים על כך שהם לא יכולים לפקוד את הקבר".
מהי חשיבות ההתנצלות?
"יש לה חשיבות משום בתפיסה הקוריאנית המתים עלולים לכעוס. מתים שהם מוזנחים, שלא מטפלים בהם, עלולים לרדוף את המשפחה, לא מסיבות רעות, פשוט כי הם מתגעגעים".
אילו עוד דפוסים את מזהה סביב האירוח הקוריאני?
"המילה 'אורח' בקוריאנית נהגית 'סון־נים'. בין היתר, נעשה בה שימוש גם לתיאור מחלות, מגיפות. אחת הסברות היא שאם מגיעה מגיפה, למשל בקורונה, יש לתת לרוח המגיפה אוכל, ולארחה. שולחן אירוח של המגיפה דומה לשולחן הצ'וסוק. הדרך להיפטר מהמגיפה, מהאורח, היא להאכילו. כך הוא יהיה טוב לבב ויעזוב. אגב, גם בצ'וסוק חשוב להגיד למתים שיבואו לבקר אותם שוב בקרוב, כדי שרוחות המתים לא ייצאו מהקברים. זו עוד עדות לכך ששורשי חג הצ'וסוק הם שורשים שמאניים, פולחן לרוחות המתים כדי שלא יזיקו לנו".
דרום אמריקה: עיין ערך חברות
"בערים הגדולות באמריקה הלטינית אחד הימים החשובים בשנה למפגשים לא משפחתיים הוא 'יום החבר'", אומר ד"ר מאוריסיו דימנט, חוקר בחוג ללימודי ספרד, פורטוגל ואמריקה הלטינית ועמית מחקר במכון למחקר ע"ש הארי ס' טרומן למען קידום השלום באוניברסיטה העברית בירושלים. "ביום זה אפשר לראות מנהגי הכנסת אורחים המאפיינים את האזור, כמו ארוחת אסאדו.
"בדרום אמריקה לעשות 'על האש', 'אסאדו', זה אירוע מרכזי, ויש לכך מקום מכובד בתוך הבית. כשאתה מחפש בית, אחד החללים החשובים ביותר שתחפש יהיה האזור לעשיית אסאדו עם האורחים, וזה בא לידי ביטוי גם כשאנשים מחפשים דירה ב־Airbnb". דימנט מספר כי התופעה רלוונטית במיוחד בארגנטינה, באורוגוואי ובצ'ילה ונכונה גם בבנייני דירות.
הכל בגלל הבשר?
"גם, אבל העניין הוא קבלת האורחים, ולכן ארוחה בדרום אמריקה נמשכת כמה שעות טובות, בניגוד לארץ, למשל. תפיסת הזמן שם היא שונה. זה אירוע שמתכוננים אליו, ואיש לא ממהר. אם המארח יבין שיש לו רק שעתיים פנויות, ייתכן שהוא מלכתחילה יבטל את הארוחה".
"תפיסת זמן שונה". אסאדו בבואנוס איירס, צילום: ארכיון: אי.פי
אתה מזהה אירועים היסטוריים שהשפיעו על חוויית האירוח בדרום אמריקה?
"יש מחקרים שמראים כי בסוף שנות ה־80 של המאה הקודמת התרבות הלטינית הפכה לקצת יותר אינדיבידואלית, וזה קשור לתופעות שונות, ובין היתר לדיקטטורות שהיו בדרום אמריקה ולמדיניות הניאו־ליברלית באותה תקופה. מהדיקטטורות נשאר הפחד. אנשים נעלמו רק משום שהופיעו ביומן הטלפונים הלא נכון. זה גרם לאנשים לחשדנות ולזהירות, וזה כמובן הביא לפחות חיים שכונתיים־קהילתיים".
באמריקה הלטינית כ־30 אחוזים מהאוכלוסייה חיה מתחת לקו העוני. איך הנתון הזה משפיע על תרבות האירוח?
"חשוב לציין שיש אזורים שבהם המספרים גדולים יותר. יש אזורים בהונדורס, בבוליביה ובפרו, למשל, שבהם יותר מ־60 אחוזים מהאוכלוסייה המקומית חיה מתחת לקו העוני. בארגנטינה מדובר על כ־40 אחוזים. זה כמובן מצב בעייתי. תרבותית, יש ניסיונות להתמודד יחד עם המציאות, למשל על ידי 'אוליה פופולר', שזה בתרגום חופשי 'סיר עממי'. במילים אחרות: אני רעב, שכניי רעבים, אז בואו נתאחד ונכין ארוחה משותפת למשפחות שלנו. כולם הולכים לבקש ביחד אוכל. הכנסיות מאוד פעילות בתחום הזה, אבל מובן שגם באזורים עניים נזהה בבית את האזור המיוחד לאסאדו. זה עניין תרבותי שהוא בגדר חובה. בדיוק כפי שלא תראה בית ללא סלון, כך גם לא הגיוני שיהיה בית ללא אזור להכנת אסאדו".
ד"ר מאוריסיו דימנט: "בדרום אמריקה, בעת חיפוש בית, חלל חשוב ביותר שתחפש יהיה האזור לעשיית אסאדו עם האורחים, וזה תקף גם בחיפוש דירה ב־Airbnb. כפי שאין בית ללא סלון, כך לא הגיוני שיהיה בית ללא אזור להכנת אסאדו"
אסלאם: להרגיש כמו מלך
בחודש אוגוסט האחרון געשה הרשת בעקבות "חתונת הפאר ברמאללה", שעליה דווח בהרחבה באתרי החדשות: השקעה של 2 מיליון דולר, כ־50 אלף אורחים, מאות מאבטחים, שישה זמרים, אטרקציות לילדים, מופע זיקוקים, אורחים בינלאומיים, וכמובן אוכל רב. החתן: בנו של איש עסקים פלשתיני ידוע, שנישא לבחירת ליבו.
האירוח חסר התקדים בוודאי לא הפתיע את המקומיים, שכן הכנסת אורחים נודעה כמנהג חשוב מאין כמוהו בתרבות הערבית, ותחילתה אי־אז בתקופה של נדידת שבטים ושיירות מסחר במדבר, עד הגעתם לאוהל או לעיר קרובה.
אבל מדוע, בעצם, לאירוח חשיבות כה רבה בעולם הערבי? "בין היתר, מקור הדברים בסיפור הדתי על איבראהים, אברהם. בהקשר התרבותי, באותה תקופה של צעידה במדבר קשור הדבר לכך שבעל הבית שהכניס אליו אורח זר, ידע שבעוד כמה ימים או שבועות גם הוא ייצא למסע, ויזדקק לעזרת האנשים במדבר", מסביר יוסף מחפוד לוי, מגשר תרבותי, מומחה לשפה ולתרבות הערבית, מרצה באוניברסיטת בר־אילן ובאוניברסיטת רייכמן ומייסד חברת INSIJAM C.L.S.
"כל עוד האורח אצלך, הוא תחת חסותך". מחפוד לוי בעת אירוח בעמאן, צילום: אודי שחם מימון
"האירוח טבוע בדנ"א של התרבות הערבית, וגם באסלאם כמובן. ב'חדית' - מסורות המספרות על חייו, אמירותיו ומעשיו של הנביא מוחמד - נכתב שמי שמאמין בא־לוהים וביום הדין, עליו לכבד את אורחיו. זה גם קשור למושג 'כַּרַם' - שמייצג את הנדיבות ורוחב הלב הכה חשובים בהכנסת האורחים. ככל שהתרבות היא בדואית יותר, שמקורה במדבר, כך האירוח משמעותי יותר".
הבדואים של היום לא בהכרח חיים במדבר.
"It's about lifestyle, customs and traditions. Citizens of cities in Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Bahrain are also Bedouin in customs and traditions. For example, this is reflected in the fact that some of them send their children to a kind of summer camp in the desert, in order to preserve their heritage and customs.
"Either way, in different cultures within Islam the rules of hospitality are similar. You will see similar hospitality in Qatar and the Negev, except for the setting of course. For example, when a person finishes staying, the host will accompany him to the car or to the entrance of his house. He will wait at the entrance until the guest is out of his sight, because as long as the guest is with you, he is under your protection."
What about generosity? It is a central pillar of hospitality.
"That's right. Even in poorer areas the hosts will do anything to make you feel like a king. They will give you what they give to their children, and it will even get to the point where the guest will be served food at the expense of the host's family members. I've also heard of people taking out loans to host their guests with dignity."
Can you think of a situation where the host and guest are enemies?
"Absolutely. There's a concept called Dakhil, and it's a deep cultural element. In other words, when you enter under the shadow of my beam, no harm will come to you, even if there is blood between us."
Tzur Sheizaf – an Israeli travel and prose writer, journalist, photographer and traveler – agrees that Arab hospitality culture is indeed exceptional: "It's probably the most luxurious hospitality culture in the world." However, he tells of a time when he received a rather dubious hospitality. "I was staying in the South Hebron Hills, and my host told me about one of the myths from the stories of the prophets – Al Masih al-Dajal, an evil figure in Islam, a kind of devil with one eye. In the last days there will be a battle between the Muslims and the Dajal. The Dajal soldiers are the Jews, who try to hide behind every tree and bush. The trees and bushes warn the Muslims where the Jews are hiding, and so the Jews are defeated and Islam wins the leadership of the world. The person who told me this was my host. After the story we went to sleep, me and his family."
At least symbolically, Sheizaf seems to be sleeping with one eye open. "The next day I worked with them in the fields, and with my camera I guarded them from the terror of the settlers. At the end of the day, the same host told me that there was a tree that if I hid behind it in the battle of the last days, I would be saved. I asked what tree it was, and he said he didn't know. After a few seconds, he regretted it and told me. It was hospitality that included a conflict between the duty of hosting and the host's expression of resentment towards Jews."
Papua Guinea: The guardian of his soul will be far away
Papua New Guinea is one of the most threatening places in the world. It stars in global violence indices and is characterized by corruption, crime, drug and human trafficking, criminal gangs, and murders. In 2019, there were reports of the massacre of 24 women and children, which came in retaliation for other killings, and last February an Australian archaeologist carrying out research work in the area was kidnapped there and eventually released.
A State Department update rated the country at risk 3 out of 4, stating last July: "Travel to Papua New Guinea should be reconsidered due to crime, civil unrest and piracy. Take extra caution due to kidnapping..."
Obvious hostility. Papua New Guinea, Photo: Netzkiah Yaakov
"It's one of the most violent places I've visited human-wise," Sheizaf explains. "It's a forested area, and one tribe can't penetrate the other's territory, because they react to it to the point of killing. If one tribe enters the territory of the other, it is only to kill and steal. I've been to many places around the world, and he's exceptional. As an outsider, you can't move there alone."
Sheizaf explains that hospitality, let alone hospitality, is a slim option: "It's very complex to buy their trust. They are not in favor of hosting, do not like to host. I was there about five years ago and it's the place where I felt the greatest hostility in my lifetime, certainly as a tourist who has no background in the conflict."
It is important to say that you arrived as a journalist who accompanied a medical delegation. They were supposed to want your presence.
"It made us a little more willing in the villages, and still, we didn't sleep in the villages because it's complicated. On one of my days working there, I was walking to the edge of the village, when suddenly I noticed that some locals were running after me, asking in a threatening tone what I was doing. So it doesn't matter if you come to help them, the hostility towards their borders is strong."
Built-in conflicts. Tzur Sheizaf, Photo: Tzur Sheizaf
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And alongside the exotics, it is impossible without a word about hospitality in Judaism. "You can see how rabbinic literature takes biblical stories and commandments about hospitality, help with hospitality for those who need it, care for the poor and the elderly, and puts them into the heart of its legal system," says Michal Bar-Asher Siegel, associate professor in Ben-Gurion University's Department of Jewish Thought and an Israeli Talmud scholar.
Prof. Michal Bar-Asher Siegel, Photo: Enzo Meeting of Home and Culture
"Our sages find extreme statements about hospitality: to host is equal to welcoming the Shekinah in your home, more important than to study in the beit midrash, and they are rewarded for this in the world to come. And there is a great emphasis on hospitality specifically for the poor. On Seder night, we invite anyone who is hungry to join the meal, and even the mitzvah of four glasses of wine was recited at the beginning, as Shama Friedman showed, as a minimum that must be provided to the poor in order to enjoy the meal mitzvah."
To what extent has there been an evolution in hospitality in Judaism from biblical times to the present?
"There are developments in several directions, but it is interesting to focus on the fact that in the Bible and the Sages we see a duty of personal hospitality that deals with the importance of hosting the poor and foreigners. Avraham does not know the guests who came to his house, and Rebecca did not know the stranger whose camels she watered. Today, when concern for the poor has shifted to an institutionalized system of welfare, we understand hospitality as the guest we know. We hesitate to open our home to the complete stranger. And we must ask: What has this done to us as a society, the transition from caring for the weak stranger to caring for the friend's guest, and what have we lost along the way, in compassion and in mutual partnership?"
Bar-Asher Siegel also points to how current events and technology affect the way we host. "Projects such as hosting along the Israel National Trail or accepting families to host from areas during the bombings, which involve the person himself and not just his pocket in caring for the other – are a clear sign that people are looking to give to the stranger in person as well. Humanity seems to understand that in extreme situations there is no substitute for personal touch. On the technological side, there is no doubt that social networks and apps have helped promote a culture of give-and-take hospitality in ways that were not possible in the past: 'couch surfing,' apartment swaps and short-term rentals on Airbnb."
What will hospitality look like in a few decades?
Michal Bar-Asher Siegel: "Great question. I hope that from the past we will also learn in the future the importance of seeing others and their suffering."
Liora Sarfati: "As Korea's economic situation improves, so do expensive and luxurious foods, because the dead expect lavish hospitality. In Korea in the past, they would not bring a bottle of alcohol to the grave for 10,000 shekels. Today we see a large investment in the food that is brought to the graves. The stronger the economy there, the stronger this trend will be."
Dr. Liora Sarfati, Photo: Yehoshua Yosef
Mahfoud Levy: "In my opinion, the DNA of hospitality in the Arab world will not change even in 7,000 years. The more generations grow up in light of customs and traditions, the more things will be preserved, although there may be a tiny change taking place. When staying with Bedouins, the sheikh or hajj grinds and cooks coffee beans, and it is customary to offer three mugs. Recently," says Mahfoud Levy with a smile, "a friend surprised me when he stopped grinding coffee beans and offered me espresso. In true traditional hospitality it is hard for me to believe that this will happen. Maybe it has something to do with the fact that the same friend is used to seeing me frequently. He knows I'll keep coming to him anyway."
Amir Shani: "As mentioned, current events and social networks also have a significant impact on the way we host. The portrayal of certain cultures, nations or groups in the media shapes public perception of them. COVID-2016, for example, has led to xenophobia and discrimination against people of Asian descent. Another example is Britain's decision to leave the European Union in <>. After Brexit, there have been reports of an increase in xenophobic incidents against tourists in the UK, reflecting a decline in the value of hospitality.
Prof. Amir Shani, Photo: Danny Machlis, Ben-Gurion University
"From a broader perspective, the future of the hospitality experience will be profoundly impacted by advances in technology. With the integration of AI and machine learning, hotels and hospitality will be able to offer personalised experiences. AI-driven concierge services, for example. It is also expected that virtual reality and augmented reality technologies will allow potential guests to conduct virtual tours of accommodations or destinations before making a reservation. But with all due respect to technology, even in the future the desire to experience authentic, warm and inviting hospitality will be preserved. Already, many tourists are looking for local and authentic experiences, which is expected to lead to more hospitality offering this in the future."
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