The golden autumn has arrived, and the important exhibition in the tourism industry, ITB China, has opened online on September 14. During the exhibition, the Israeli Ministry of Tourism returned again, bringing rich tourism resources, active local product dynamics, friendly entry policies and confidence in safe tourism to domestic operators.
Recently, Israeli Tourism Minister Yoel Razvozov and Chinese Ambassador to Israel Cai Run exchanged views on gradually resuming direct flights between the two countries. The two sides discussed the gradual recovery plan for direct flights and agreed to jointly study the possibility of direct flights arranged by the end of 2022. As part of the agreement, Hainan Airlines and Sichuan Airlines will work to resume direct flights from Tel Aviv to Shenzhen and Chengdu, respectively. At present, Hainan Airlines officially shows that flights from Tel Aviv to Shenzhen have officially booked tickets.
ITB China is the largest tourism exhibition in China, focusing on the Chinese tourism market, gathering professional buyers, and jointly expanding tourism cooperation. The Ministry of Tourism hopes to closely connect with more industry partners to prepare for the recovery after the epidemic. During the period, the Israeli Ministry of Tourism will show the unique charm of Israel to buyers, audiences and professional guests in all aspects: brilliant civilization and long history and culture are the most recognizable and attractive features of Israel in the face of the Chinese market, and this land is far more than that. During the exhibition, the Ministry of Tourism will also promote the vibrant urban culture represented by Tel Aviv, a variety of food and wine experiences that combine creativity, and a light outdoor experience represented by diving, hiking and marathons, to fully demonstrate a more diverse, inclusive and open Israel.
At the same time, Israel's local multiple tourism resources and products will be fully displayed and communicated to domestic practitioners during the exhibition, sending a positive signal of tourism recovery.
The headquarters of the Ministry of Tourism has invested a lot of financial support for the recovery of the tourism industry. According to the latest news, the Israeli Ministry of Tourism allocates more than US$49 million (about RMB 340 million) this year to support the construction of new or renovated hotels, and calls on local authorities and public institutions to submit proposals for the construction of tourism projects. In the past few months, Israel has welcomed many hotels that have been or are about to open, including the Six Senses Shaharut in the Negev Desert, as well as several new hotels in Tel Aviv, including the Brut Brown Hotel and The David Kempinski Tel Aviv, to further complement and enhance Israel's reception capacity. At the same time, the Ministry of Tourism allocated about US$7.59 million (about RMB 52.37 million) to provide free tour guide services to the public. The service was officially resumed in February this year. To date, more than 1,800 tour guides have responded, and the service is currently in Hebrew and will soon be in English, Russian, French and Arabic.
Classic attractions and neighborhoods have also been vigorously repaired and upgraded. Israel has also greatly improved the transportation convenience of the old city through years of hard work - by installing handrails and adding ramps, nearly 6.4 kilometers of streets and alleys in the old city have been able to pass. In addition, the introduction of the application Step-Hear can better support sightseeing for people with visual impairments. As one of Israel's most iconic and most visited attractions, the West Wall is undergoing a $35 million (about RMB 242 million) infrastructure upgrade, aiming to further enhance the West Wall's attractiveness and reception capabilities by improving access to public transportation, developing new educational activities and continuing to operate existing projects.
Israel has shown a positive signal of tourism recovery. According to a report released by the Israeli Ministry of Tourism in July, as of July 2022, a total of 249,500 tourists entered Israel, a year-on-year increase of 49,200 in July 2021 and 322,800 in July 2019, with a strong increase in tourists and a significant result in tourism recovery.
Entry policies, epidemic prevention measures and domestic status in Israel are also the focus of attention of professional buyers at this exhibition.Israel has officially announced that from May 20, 2022, PCR testing will no longer be mandatory after entering the country, and the 24-hour quarantine regulations have been lifted. At the same time, the israelsafe.com mini website was launched to update the latest entry requirements and policies in detail and timely manner to help tourists reduce pre-trip anxiety and answer related questions. Since the epidemic, Israel has actively promoted the vaccine process. At present, the fourth dose of the COVID-19 vaccine has been fully launched. Israel has full confidence and responsibly taken care of the health and safety of residents and tourists.
Mr. Lantian, Tourism Counselor of the Israeli Ministry of Tourism, said: "Israel is fully prepared to welcome the arrival of inbound tourists. Although China's outbound tourism has not yet been restarted, we have always firmly regarded China as one of the most important and potential overseas markets and continue to invest. We look forward to more Chinese tourists as one of the preferred destinations after the recovery of overseas travel."
"Actively participate in the ITB in 2022." China reflects our confidence in the market. In the post-epidemic era, the Israeli Ministry of Tourism will work with China and Israeli industry partners to upgrade products, pay more attention to the needs of segmented and vertical tourism interests and hobbies, pay more attention to new product models in the market, pay more attention to new partners, and continue to innovate to push Israel to more potential tourists."
In the case of the outbreak of the epidemic and travel restrictions, the China Office of the Ministry of Tourism of Israel proposed the "Experience First, Start Again" strategy , and took this as a guide to actively respond to the current market situation. In Shanghai, it successively implemented the theme travel experience promotion of "Experience First, Start Again: Jewish Culture Exploration" and "Experience First, Start Again: Exploring Israeli Wine", bringing Israel and the history and culture behind it to a reach within reach of Chinese tourists, not only provides the target audience with opportunities for face-to-face communication, but also cleverly establishing their understanding and favorable feelings for Israel. Among them, the "Experience First, Start Again: Exploration of Jewish Culture" project won the bronze award of the "2021 WARC Greater China Strategy Award" and the special award "Wangming Budget Steward Award" awarded by the conference.
In addition, confidence in the Chinese market is also reflected in the talent strategy of the Ministry of Tourism. The Israeli Ministry of Tourism has two offices in Shanghai and Beijing as its core and is active in the Chinese market. This year, two senior colleagues in the tourism industry have taken up their new position, helping to further increase Israel's voice in the Chinese market. Mr. Lantian said: "We will continue to absorb outstanding talents and reserve solid strength for subsequent opening up and promotion of Israeli destinations."
