Credit card firm says spending down in Gaza op

Israeli credit card firm Isracard publishes fascinating findings, displayed in (Hebrew-language) graphs in the tweet below that show a steep decline in consumer spending, especially for entertainment, since the start of Operation Protective Edge.

Credit card spending is six percent lower on average throughout the country and across all spending categories. In the south, the area most affected by rocket fire from Gaza over the past month, spending is down nearly 12%.

The category of “entertainment, culture and sports” is especially hard-hit, says Isracard, dropping some 19% over the course of the first three weeks of Protective Edge. Tourism spending (by Israelis in Israel) is down 27% nationwide — though ironically less among southern residents (down just 8%) who are “touring” other parts of the country to escape the rocket fire.

אוכלים הרבה ולא יוצאים לנופש. כך נראית הצניחה בצריכה הפרטית בשלושת השבועות של צוק איתן. עבודה מעניינת של ישראכרט pic.twitter.com/XmK2qPAaC8

— Rotem Shtarkman רותם שטרקמן (@RotemShtarkman) August 3, 2014