Tourism Drop Impacts Jaffa Bakery, Yet Local Support Remains Strong

The recent decline in tourist arrivals has hit Abulafia Bakery hard, as visitors once accounted for about a fifteenth of its daily sales. Over the past three years, the number of foreign guests has fallen dramatically due to regional instability, forcing the bakery to rely more on local foot traffic. Despite the setback, Saeed Abulafia stresses that the shop’s core customers—Jewish, Christian and Muslim residents of Jaffa—continue to buy his pastries. The bakery’s long‑standing presence and its role as a cultural meeting point have helped sustain business, even as the broader tourism sector struggles.