Hilton and Sheraton are not likely to build hotels in Jisr az-Zarqa, the only Arab village on the Israeli coast of the Mediterranean Sea. But a pair of Israeli visionaries – one Jewish, one Arab – saw tourism potential in the modest fishing village. In January last year, they opened a backpackers hostel, Juha’s Guesthouse,  which was chosen as the best social business in a competition sponsored by Bank Hapoalim and the newspaper Yediot Aharonot last December.

For vacationers and hikers from across the world, the hostel provides a thrifty base from which one can reach the beach in five minutes, the Crocodile Stream Nature Reserve in 10 minutes and upscale Caesarea in 45 minutes along the Israel Trail. Guided tours and activities such as a surfing lessons  and crafts are available. In an area where the two main forms of employment are fishing and housekeeping, Juha’s Guesthouse has injected a jolt of hope for the local economy. Some residents are now giving workshops in traditional handicrafts such as embroidery; some are hosting traditional meals for a fee; and others are establishing new shops.

“In the year since we opened, we can honestly say things in Jisr have changed a lot,” co-owner Neta Hanien tells ISRAEL21c. “The media liked our story and it brought a lot of Israeli visitors on weekends, not to stay at the guesthouse but to explore the village. More small businesses are opening and more people are starting to believe they can do something in their own village to make a living. They turn to us and ask our advice.” And so the guesthouse, which raised its initial NIS 92,000 in capital through a Headstart crowdfunding campaign, began another Headstart campaign to support a Made in Jisr startup hub. “We give entrepreneurs access to the Internet and computers, which many of them don’t have at home, and teach them how to use social media to promote their businesses,” says Hanien. “We arranged to bring in the Ministry of Tourism to run a course for local new entrepreneurs.” (via Israel21c)