Dead Sea hotels face demolition

The Finance Ministry has given its support to the demolition and reconstruction of 6 hotels built on the Dead Sea shoreline because a growing threat of flooding has made the sites dangerous to tourists. The hotels include the Leonardo Club, Leonardo Plaza and Crowne Plaza as well as the Dead Sea Health Centre, and all of the restaurants and shops on the east side of the main road. Hoteliers are angry about the ruling which they say will lose them money, custom and will force them to make thousands of workers unemployed. The hotels built in the 1970's are in increasing danger as water levels in the northern part of the sea are falling by around 1 metre per year, causing sinkholes to develop in the exposed beaches. This has caused the opposite effect on the south part of the sea where water is now rising by 20 centimetres every year, it is this that is threatening to endanger both tourists, buildings and roads on the south of the Sea .