Israel’s Ministry of Tourism has laid the cornerstone of the NIS3.2mn ($1.06mn) “Joshua Trail” at Elon Moreh in Samaria, the ministry said on September 23.
The trail is the first stage of the ministry’s “Biblical Trails in Judea and Samaria” initiative, a wider programme to build heritage and faith tourism routes across the region. For operators selling biblical and pilgrimage itineraries, the plan adds new accessible walking products to a market that has faced regional travel disruption this year.
The route will include an accessible promenade and a suspension bridge linking the Elon Moreh Heritage Center with the summit of the Mount Kabir Nature Reserve. The ministry said it would combine the area’s landscape and views with sites tied to its historical and biblical heritage, and would serve families and day visitors.
Partners in the project are:
- the tourism and heritage ministries
- the Israel Nature and Parks Authority
- the Samaria Regional Council
- the Judea and Samaria Regional Cluster
- the Elon Moreh Heritage Center
“Every trail we develop and every site we make accessible connects more people to the area and generates growth,” Tourism Minister Haim Katz said. “Samaria can and should become Israel’s Tuscany. It has landscapes, vineyards, wineries, history and heritage that cannot be found anywhere else.”
Samaria Regional Council head Yossi Dagan said the site would become “accessible and welcoming to large numbers of visitors from across Israel”.
Heritage Minister Amichai Eliyahu and Tourism Ministry director-general Michael Izhakov also attended the cornerstone ceremony. It took place on September 22.