海角大神

Where others give PowerPoint presentations about wooing more souls to a storied land, he wears a faded 鈥渟taff鈥� T-shirt with a button that says, 鈥淚n fun we trust.鈥� He actively courts travelers who have visited countries at war with Israel, including Syria, Lebanon, Iran, and Iraq, and aims to boost tourism to the whole Middle East one backpacker at a time.

Meet Maoz Inon, Israel鈥檚 maverick tourism entrepreneur, whose latest venture was just recognized as one of the top 10 large hostels worldwide.

鈥淚 believe tourism is a great tool also to create political change, to create a very big impact,鈥� he says. 鈥淏ackpackers are the first adopters, so we must target them.鈥�

Mr. Inon鈥檚 foray into shoestring travel in Israel began eight years ago in the Old City of Nazareth, one of Israel鈥檚 poorest neighborhoods, which was riddled with drugs and not exactly a prime tourist destination 鈥� even for the adventurous. But after he and his wife decided to leave their 鈥測uppie lives鈥� in Tel Aviv and spent months backpacking along California鈥檚 Pacific Crest Trail and later Patagonia at the tip of South America, they had returned home with a mission.

鈥淚 believe the No. 1 beneficiary should be the local community,鈥� he says, having witnessed firsthand the transformative effect of responsible tourism.

He found a gem of an old mansion in Nazareth鈥檚 warren of stone alleyways, and turned its soaring arches and tiled ceilings into the , named after the Arab family that occupied it until the 1980s. By creating a free map and daily tours of the Old City, as well as co-founding the that runs from Fauzi鈥檚 steps to the shores of the Galilee, he helped create such a demand that six more guesthouses have since opened up in the Old City.

With visitors from places as cosmopolitan as London and far-flung as Mongolia, he says his inn and its clientele are gradually turning perceptions of Nazareth inside out.

鈥淚t is raising the self-esteem of the community and creating a psychological change in their mind,鈥� says Inon, who partners with local businesses 鈥撀爄ncluding other guesthouses 鈥撀燼nd organizes home-cooked dinners in a local family鈥檚 home for 80 shekels ($22) a head.

鈥淪ustainable business is not about recycling or solar power,鈥� he says. 鈥淚t鈥檚 about being a profitable business.

And he seems to have a knack for spotting such opportunities. , which he opened in 2010 with several other Israeli backpackers, became a top-ranked Israeli hostel before renovations on all 72 rooms聽were even completed. In February, the annual Hoscars competition named it the 8th聽best large hostel in the world 鈥� the only Israeli hostel to get a mention in any of the four categories.

鈥淚 believe backpackers are the foundation of sustainable tourism,鈥� he says. 鈥淚 see them as the planktons in the ocean that we feed on.鈥�