The Dead Sea’s Ein Bokek beach district. Photo: Tiia Monto via Wikimedia Commons.

JNS.org – Israeli Minister of Tourism Yariv Levin dedicated a new three-mile promenade along the Dead Sea beachfront at Ein Bokek Monday, as part of a $55 million project seeking to revive the Dead Sea hotel district.

The Dead Sea infrastructure project, which began in 2012 and concluded in 2016, was developed to combat flooding occurring at the body of water’s southern basin. The initiative — which is jointly funded by the Israeli government and Dead Sea Works, a supplier of potash mineral salts — saw engineers raise the level of the hotel district’s beaches by 6.5 feet. Additionally, saltwater-proof clay berms have been installed along the entire length of Ein Bokek’s beaches.

The tourism minister also announced proposals for a major expansion including the construction of at least 12 new hotels. The facilities would add 3,700 hotel rooms — on top of the current 4,000 — to the Ein Bokek district, and would bring 20,000 more jobs to the Dead Sea region. According to Levin, the new hotels would be more environmentally friendly, while blend into the natural landscape.