The Ministry of Tourism is getting ready for the fall-winter season: it plans to invest NIS 40 million in marketing Israel abroad as an attractive tourist location from September thru December.
The Ministry of Tourism stressed that this is not a response to political events in the region, but a previously planned publicity campaign as part of the ministry's 2011 annual work plan, with an overall budget of NIS 260 million.
The 2011 fall-winter campaign includes advertising on street billboards and in print media, tourism magazines, radio and TV stations, Internet sites and social networks in ten countries: the US, Russia, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, and Scandinavian countries, as well as "new" countries that have expressed interest in tourism in Israel, like Poland and Brazil.
The campaign will present all the possibilities available for touring Israel: recreational activities, vacationing, leisure time, as well as showing Israel as the "holyland" with its plethora of religious, historical and cultural sites.
The campaign will highlight sites in Jerusalem, the Dead Sea, Tel Aviv and Eilat, as well as tourist sites in the Galilee and the Negev.
The Tourism Ministry will work directly with local tourist industries in the above-mentioned countries, including participating in fairs, seminars and the recruitment of new travel agencies, etc.
Minister of Tourism Stas Misezhnikov said today, "The fall season is the most attractive season for tourism in Israel, and the Ministry of Tourism's offices around the world are working intensively to create more interest in visiting Israel. The stability of incoming tourism to Israel, despite the economic and political events in the region and in the world, is an important economic anchor that contributes to the country's economy by bringing in revenue and by providing jobs."
According to Ministry of Tourism statistics, from the beginning of the year through August, 2.2 million tourists have visited Israel - down 2% compared with the same period last year. However, revenue related to incoming tourism (not including flights) in the first half of the year was NIS 8.2 billion, as compared to NIS 7.1 billion in the same period the year before - up 15%.
Published by Globes [online], Israel business news - www.globes-online.com - on September 18, 2011
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