"In the coming years the world will recover from the global economic crisis. When this day arrives we in Israel need to be ready" explained Chairman of the Ministry of Tourism, Shaul Zemach, to the audience at the annual Israel tourism fair.
Zemach added that if Israel wants to realize its potential of 5 million tourists annually from 2015, now is the time to significantly increase the marketing budget, to improve the tourism infrastructure, to increase the number of hotel rooms and to improve the quality of the package holiday by providing good value for money.
Zemach indicated that in 2009 the Ministry of Tourism will start to grade hotels in Israel "the tourist industry has to set new clear and credible standards in order to provide the tourist with a transparent, reliable and positive experience as well as good value for money. Dissatisfaction with the Israeli tourist package, compared to that received from the competition, will cause a fall in the number of potential tourists choosing to come to Israel; even worse will be the significant loss in the number of returning guests.
The Ministry of Tourism will act in 2009 to improve the quality and value of Israel's tourist product – part of the preparation in the coming years for the competition that will develop with the end of the global economic crisis.
