OUR CIRCLES / PROJECTS
Gaza Travel Agency
What if people in Gaza could just enter a travel agency and plan their return home? Home to the places they were displaced from since 1948 and never allowed to return to, despite international law kepts on promising it to them. Gaza Travel Agency brings awareness to the Right of Return for Palestinians with speculative design.
In collaboration with:
the Story
The power of imagination
In 2024, in the middle of the genocide in Gaza, a collective of Palestinians and allies came together around the emergence of plans by Isreal to displace people from Gaza to several remote locations around the world.
Since 1948, over 80% of the Gazan population have been refugees, 50% of them are children. They were displaced from villages and towns, most of which, according to recent official data, are still empty on Israeli territory.
Multiple plans for the return of Palestinians, we are inspired by the work of the historian Dr. Salman Abu Sitta. In his research he formulated practical plans for the return of Palestinian refugees, which are not only very feasible but also lawful: international law and multiple UN resolutions have stated several times the fact that Israel should allow Palestinians to return and be granted the same human rights as all the other citizens.
We believe in the power of design to address complex topics and shift narratives. Through design, we aim to make the abstract idea of return tangible, relatable, and as simple as “taking a bus home”. The idea of Palestinians returning to their original towns- is actively censored and this work is to put it back as a mainstream solution.
How we gathered
After setting up the brand, the content, the social media presence, the team designed the Gaza Travel Agency, a space of speculation and imagination that invites visitors to visualise, not debate, the routes, possibilities, and emotions of return.
At the 2025 edition of Dutch Design Week we presented for the first time the Gaza Travel Agency concept, a fictional travel agency that lets visitors “book” trips to destinations in historic Palestine.
Since then we have organised the agency three other times in Amsterdam, and we are always looking for more opportunities to set-up the agency and welcome visitors in it. People that visit the Gaza Travel Agency experience a typical travel agency: destinations are hanging from the walls, a large map gives more information about the means of transportation, you can talk with the Stewards that can guide you. In the process people learn about the Right of Return of Palestinians, the plans of Abu Sitta, the legal foundations behind it, and the history of displacement of the last 78 years.
This work aims to transform politics and despair into imagination and design possibilities, from chaos and hopelessness to a simple journey: a journey into designing peace.
This work has been possible only thanks to the contributions of more than 40 volunteers, donating their time, skills and resources to bring this message to nearly 10.000 visitors in person and many more on our digital channels.
We are currently working on carrying forward the speculative possibilities of Gaza Travel Agency via more exhibitions, events and online experiences.
join us
Do you want to support?
Researcher
Our work requires continuous research and information management, especially on the Right of Return of Palestinians. Are you a researcher and wish to volunteer around 3 hours per week?
Social media management
We want to invite our social media followers into the speculative experiences we create. Are you good with social media and wish to volunteer around 3 hours per week?
Fundraising and partnerships
Setting up exhibitions and experiences require funds and partnership. Do you have experience and wish to volunteer around 3 hours per week?
THE TEAM
Who makes it happen
STORIES AND NEWS
Stories about the project
Gaza Travel Agency in Hoop voor Gaza
The Gaza Travel Agency participated in Hoop voor Gaza at the Bergkerk in Deventer, Netherlands, from 8 to 22 April 2026. The exhibition brought together the Nomadic Monument for Gaza, works from the Art Academy for Young Talent in Gaza, Lebanese artist Mounira al Solh, and Palestinian artists based in the Netherlands, holding space for […]
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Gaza Travel Agency: A Reflection on the Right of Return
It was a rain-soaked day in Eindhoven. Away from the frenetic energy of the 2025 Dutch Design Week, inside a container we were designing the most fundamental of human journeys: the journey home. Volunteers welcoming visitors at Gaza Travel Agency. The Gaza Travel Agency (GTA) was a speculative design project, a space to imagine the […]
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