Converted fishing boat serves up unique entertainment option

GAZA CITY, Middle East - On a large fishing boat on the tip of land that stretches a few meters into the water of Gaza City beach, Hana al-Jarousha enjoyed herself in the first leisure restaurant of its kind in the blockaded Gaza Strip.

The vessel-turned-eaterie, known as Lulu Rose, can hold up to 350 people and is proving a popular attraction.

"It is a source of comfort and leisure for customers. This is my third visit to the restaurant. I come to get inspiration for my poetry," said Jarousha, a media professional in Gaza:

Mervat Hammad, a friend of Jarousha and a local physician, is also fond of the restaurant, partly because entertainment in the coastal enclave is limited due to the poor economic conditions.

"The most attractive place for the 2 million inhabitants of the Gaza Strip is the sea," Hammad said.

Another customer, Mahmoud Zaqout, said the restaurant provided Gaza residents with a welcome entertainment option.

During a visit to the restaurant with his family, he said such projects represent an opportunity to defy the electricity crisis in Gaza.

This sentiment was echoed by a restaurant worker, who added: "The boat has attracted a lot of customers looking for a change in how they spend their leisure time, as the beach of Gaza has been polluted by swimmers."

Restaurant owner Mohamed Tartouri said there are plans to construct two more floors to increase the restaurant's capacity by 300 people.

He said the boat had been anchored in the Gaza seaport and like many other vessels had not been used for years.

"The big fishing boat did not sail because of Israel's restrictions imposed on the work of fishermen in the Gaza Strip and due to the weakness of their business as fishermen," Tartouri said, referring to the Israeli navy's limit on the area that can be used by Gaza fishermen.

This has left a large number of big fishing boats abandoned after their owners stopped sailing, as the shrinking revenues could not cover the operating costs.

Israel has imposed a tight blockade on the Gaza Strip since Hamas seized control of the enclave in 2007 after internal fighting with forces loyal to the Palestinian National Authority.

Economists argue that creative ideas can push the economy to grow and develop at a time when traditional tourism is dropping because of the ongoing recession.

Xinhua