All the news about Israeli tourism

“Strengthening internal tourism and leverage on hotels in Israel are currently the most important issues”.  This was the main message from those who attended the conference, initiated by the Ministry of Tourism.   With a continuing decline in the number of Israelis taking holidays in Israel and the fact that 60 per cent of Israeli hotel’s activities are as a result of the efforts of the workers committees, the participants  took the stage in order to make a moving plea “Save our industry”.

“The tourist industry is much more than 100,000 workers and 10 million hotel nights per year” explained Shaul Zemach, the director general of the Ministry of Tourism. “The tourist industry helps to finance many different industries and its weakening will lead to damage to those industries.”  Zemach said that the aim of the meeting was to reinforce the awareness of domestic tourism, especially in outlying areas of the country.

Minister of Tourism, Ruhama Avraham emphasized that it was important that Israeli workers show support for their country and take holidays in Israel.  She also asked the heads of the workers committees and the chairman of the Histadrut labor federation, Ofer Eini, to organize a fair to promote holidays in Israel.  Minister Avraham, suggested that the hoteliers should reduce their rates and create a more attractive holiday package. Since cheaper packages are a better option than empty hotel rooms. “It’s true that the cost of hotel nights in Israel are among the most expensive in the region, nevertheless it is important to show increased pride in the country at this time.”

The issue of high prices in Israeli hotels is something frequently discussed when compared with overseas holidays.  In closed conversations, the hoteliers admitted that it would be difficult for them to reduce the price of hotel nights because wages paid in Israel were so much higher than in competing countries.  It should be pointed out that the prices offered to workers committees are already very low compared to the market price.  Eli Gonen:  “We have a problem dealing with prices offered by the Turks and we cannot force Israelis to stay in Israel; however we expect that during a time of crisis, it will be the workers committees that will help to fill the hotels.”

Avi Ziv, CEO of the Domestic Travel Agents Association, said that more than 50 percent of the activities of the committees were driven by travel agents, and that they were responsible for 90 percent of the groups’ operations.  He called on the heads of the workers committees “Give us priority; we need it especially at this time”.

The final speaker, chairman of the Histadrut labor committee, Ofer Eini, received widespread greetings from all present, and he announced that damage to tourism is part of the government freeze.  According to Eini, workers committees are loyal customers of the hotels and he called on the workers committees to be responsible and choose vacations in Israel.