MIDEAST-GAZA-ISRAELI TOURISM Israel's tourism to recover quickly post Gaza war - tourism minister

Record ID: 398703

  • Title: MIDEAST-GAZA-ISRAELI TOURISM Israel's tourism to recover quickly post Gaza war - tourism minister
  • Date: 22nd September 2014
  • Summary: TEL AVIV, ISRAEL (SEPTEMBER 22, 2014) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF TEL AVIV BEACH WOMEN WALKING AT BEACH SIDE ISRAELI FLAG NEAR BEACH VARIOUS OF PEOPLE AT BEACH HOTELS AND BUILDINGS NEAR BEACH TOURISTS WALKING AT BEACH SIDE HOTEL BUILDINGS JERUSALEM (SEPTEMBER 22, 2014) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF TOURISTS WALKING IN JERUSALEM'S OLD CITY VARIOUS OF TOWER OF DAVID SIGN READING IN ENGLISH
  • Embargoed: 7th October 2014 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Topics: General
  • Reuters ID: LVA8VO6CQ5N8OCKLFDGLR0DLAQID
  • Story Text: Israel's tourism industry is expected to recover after it suffered a severe setback during the 50 days of fighting in the Gaza Strip, the country's tourism minister said on Monday (September 22).
    Fighting in the region began on July 8 with Israel's declared aim being halting cross-border rocket salvoes by Hamas.
    "Incoming tourism dropped between twenty to thirty percent during the month of 'Protective Edge' operation. Much of that has been off set by special domestic tourism campaigns that we have just quickly brought-up. Now we are again coming back to the routine way of life, to the routine day to day tourism that is picking up. We hope it will take between three, to four, to six months just to put everything back on track," Tourism Minister Uzi Landau told Reuters.
    Tourism to Israel, badly damaged by rocket fire from Gaza during an Israeli offensive against Islamist militants in the enclave, should bounce back later in the year, Tourism Minister Uzi Landau said.
    More than 3.5 million visitors came to Israel in 2013, pumping some 40 billion shekels ($12 billion) into the economy and 1.9 million came in the first six months of the year.
    Landau has said last month the tourist industry had been on course for 4-4.1 million visitors in all this year. But the Gaza flare-up that began on July 8 caused a 35 percent plunge in visitors at a cost of $500 million in lost revenue for the third quarter, according to an Israel Hotel Association (IHA) estimate.
    Head of travel agency of "Zion Tours", Mark Feldman, said that in the year 2014 the tourism sector will not recover, especially for the incoming tourism but plans can be made to make the year 2015 better.
    "There is no tourism here, there is nobody making plans, there are no conferences planned here in November, everything was moved. 2014 is pretty much finished. There will be some people coming later on, certianly for Christmas, at December, they'll be coming here, but by and large, 2014 is history, it's over. The air fares can be as low as possible, the minister can promote as much as he wants, but people have already made their plans," said Mark Feldman.
    Over the month of August alone, during the peak of the tourist season, some 3,000 rockets were launched into Israel from Gaza, causing mass cancellations by foreign visitors; many Israelis themselves aborted travel plans within the country for their holidays.
    Most of the rockets launched into Israel were intercepted by its Iron Dome anti-missile defense shield, or fell into uninhabited open areas. Overall, the rocket fire caused minor, isolated damage.
    Joseph Macklean an American tourist who visits Israel from time to time said that Israel is a safe place to visit.
    "I've never been afraid to come here. As a matter of fact, it feels safer here that it does in the United States or anywhere else. And so I come about twice a year, stay about a month. I love Israel, I come here to work with some people helping out in different places in Israel and I love the people. I just like to come and be an encouragement, but during the war time I was supposed to head this way, my travel plans got messed up, so I've been here about two weeks and it feels safe. I think everybody should come to Israel, right now it is a good time," said Joseph Macklean.
    Landau said the recent wave of tourist cancellations arose from the perception that Israel was not safe. He said a directive by the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration in July to ban U.S. airline travel to Tel Aviv for two days after a rocket landed near Ben Gurion airport was unnecessary.
    Landau said the government was discussing compensation for the Israel's tourist sector. His ministry had also launched a local campaign encouraging Israelis to travel in the last weeks of summer vacation while also targeting the main foreign markets - the United States, Russia, Germany, Britain, France and Italy.
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