Turizam Volume 30, Issue 3-1
YOUTUBE TRAVEL DOCUMENTARIES AND WESTERN TOURIST PERCEPTIONS OF ISRAEL AND PALESTINE: IMPLICATIONS FOR PEACE TOURISM
Authors: Ahmed Abdel Fattah
Abstract: This study investigates how independent YouTube travel documentaries shape Western tourist perceptions of Israel and Palestine in the aftermath of the October 7, 2023 attacks. Drawing on audience and media effects theory, the research examines how alternative social media narratives interact with pre-existing perceptions shaped by Western mainstream news coverage. Using an interpretive qualitative design, a focus group of 13 Western tourists (nine repeat visitors and four first-time visitors) viewed two documentaries—Journey Through Palestine and Journey Through Israel— followed by moderated discussion. Thematic analysis reveals that participants initially relied heavily on mainstream media frames characterized by politicized and polarized representations. However, exposure to the documentaries prompted negotiated readings that emphasized cultural commonalities, everyday coexistence, and shared social practices. While participants reported increased empathy and more differentiated perceptions of both communities, findings should be interpreted cautiously given the small sample size and the predominance of repeat visitors. Rather than demonstrating direct peacebuilding effects, the study suggests that independent travel media can contribute to discursive openings that complicate dominant conflict narratives. The research advances tourism scholarship by integrating audience reception theory with peace tourism debates and by empirically examining how social media travel texts are interpreted in conflict-affected destinations.
Keywords: Social media; Peacebuilding; Israel; Palestine; Western Tourists; Stereotypes; YouTube; Mass Media
DOI: 10.5937/turizam30-61927
Article info: 169-185
Received: October 2025 | Accepted: July 2026