Heritage Industries in the OPT

Heritage industries play a vital role in the Palestinian economy as a part of the tourism sector. These industries provide tourists with souvenirs that reflect Palestinian culture and heritage and contribute to enriching their Palestinian experience. They also provide pilgrims to Bethlehem and

Jerusalem with highly demanded religious souvenirs. Generally, these industries create points of differentiation between nations, for they are a reflection of a nation’s history and heritage. There are various heritage industries in Palestine, several of them are now perishing, however, for different reasons. The main Palestinian crafts are, embroidery, traditional costumes, Nabulsi soap, olivewood carving, glass, ceramics, pottery and shell products, fabrics, handmade carpets, bamboo, straw and wax products.

 The definition of the term ‘heritage industries’ is controversial, yet almost all definitions agree on the common features of these industries: simple, handmade, mainly depending on craftsmanship, and family-based.  These industries require inherited or acquired special skills. The products are typically simple, in limited quantities, and do not depend heavily on costly sophisticated machinery. Therefore, similarities can be found between heritage industries and micro industries in terms of the volume of capital, the number of workers, the level of technology use, and the ability to operate at home or in limited spaces.

 Statistics show that some 199 workshops are operating in the Palestinian Territory. These shops employ 637 craftspeople and contribute to the value added of tourism industry with no more than 2.5% (the latter’s contribution to GDP being less than 3.5%). It also appears that these shops are small in size and could even be described as ‘micro’ in regards to the number of workers, as the average number of workers is 3.2 workers per shop (other statistics show lower figures). Thus, studying heritage industries and the problems they encounter will reflect the difficulties sustained by small craft enterprises.

Heritage industries face numerous difficulties, some of which have contributed to the decline- as in handmade carpets, bamboo, and straw products- and even the erosion of some of these industries. According to various sources, problems facing craft industries are somewhat similar, and are mostly related to the nature of the industry itself. Most of these industries are facing difficulties in acquiring raw materials, as many of them historically depended on domestic materials in their production (a prominent characteristic of these industries). Today, however, these industries depend heavily on importing raw materials. The main reasons behind this shift are the unavailability of domestic raw materials and their high costs compared to imported ones. For instance, the weakness of the Palestinian agricultural sector caused the scarcity of domestically produced wool, which is the major raw material in producing handmade carpets. In addition, the agricultural sector provides olivewood as a raw material for the olivewood carving industry, while at the same time, constituting the primary source for olive oil used in manufacturing Nabulsi soap. This dependency on a weak agricultural sector has pushed producers towards importing olive oil and therefore decreasing the comparative advantage of domestic products.

 Workers in heritage industries are usually family members (who are generally unpaid) in addition to workers with low pay in comparison to the local average, which is an impediment itself. Most workers, driven by low wages and inappropriate working conditions, prefer to look for higher-paying, less-demanding and less-harmful jobs than hand-making glass, for example, which involves spending lengthy hours in high-temperature environments. Craft shops owners face a problem in replacing these workers as their crafts require specific skills that are not highly available in the labor market. However, these industries provide employment opportunities for many marginalized groups, such as, housewives, retirees and special needs people.  For instance, around 4000 women worked from home in embroidery and making traditional costumes in 2006, and many of the families of these women have lost their main source of income.