Minister Silvan Shalom: “The field of tourism in Israel is not treated properly as it is in other countries”
The Vice Prime Minister and Minister for Regional Development was the honoured guest at the monthly conference of the Skal International Association of Travel and Tourism Professionals, held at the Maccabiah Hotel in Ramat Gan. Shalom: “The imminent widespread cuts by government offices will also damage tourism.”
Silvan Shalom, the Vice Prime Minister and Minister for Regional Development who also holds the role of Minister of the Development for the Negev and the Galil, during a speech in the presence of the directors of travel agents, warned that the field of tourism in Israel suffers more than in other countries of a similar size
According to Shalom, it is necessary to invest more in regional cooperation with bordering countries in order to leverage incoming tourist traffic to Israel and the Palestinian Authority. He revealed that recently he held meetings, in cooperation with Tony Blair, Envoy of the Quartet on the Middle East, and with officials from the Aqaba tourism, with the joint aim of marketing regional holiday packages, including tours of Jerusalem, Bethlehem and Aqaba.
“I certainly believe that it is possible to develop the tourism domain with neighbouring countries,” said Shalom, “Israel is a small country and improving the infrastructure will contribute significantly.”
Minister Shalom referred to the number of tourists visiting Israel every year and said that it is illogical that a country like Tunisia (the country of his birth) has 10 million tourists annually. Shalom: “Tunis is not a holy land or a promised land, they only have the sea and their close proximity to Europe,” he complained. “The Negev and the Galil have historical significance.”
