Four million tourists, twice as many as visit Israel today, are expected to converge on this country in the year 2000. This influx is liable to result in the collapse of Israel’s physical infrastructure systems, bottlenecks at Ben-Gurion Airport and intolerable loads at Christian pilgrimage sites. There is also expected to be a severe shortage of beds, especially in Jerusalem, Nazareth and Tiberias. These conclusions were reached by the authors of the "Israel 2000" report, submitted today (Monday) to Tourism Minister Moshe Katzav.
According to the report, both the governmental and the private sectors must proceed to an emergency deployment amounting to NIS 370 million. Of that amount, NIS 195 million must be allocated immediately, and another $45 million must be raised from Tourism Ministry sources. Another NIS 85 million, it is estimated, must be obtained from private sources, by way of commercial concessions for events, broadcasting rights and so forth.
The report, on the state of the transport, aviation and inland tourism infrastructures, and on the required deployment for the year 2000, was commissioned by the ministries of finance and tourism.
Tourism Ministry Director-General David Litvak stated that the revenues anticipated from the arrival of some four million tourists are estimated at $4 billion. This is based on an average per tourist expense of $1,000.