ISRAEL TOURISM
September 2026
AMERICAN TRAVEL AGENTS VISIT ISRAEL IN PUSH FOR POSTWAR TOURISM
Taimur Mansour will lead the Ministry of Tourism’s efforts to grow travel from Canada to Israel ISRAEL TOURISM NAMES NEW CANADA DIRECTOR adventurous travellers, often seeking meaningful connections and authentic cultural experiences. Canada is also home to the 4th largest Jewish community in the world. “We are confident Taimur’s leadership will deepen our partnerships across Canada’s travel industry and create new opportunities for Canadians to experience Israel’s history, culture and people.” Mansour joins the Toronto office following his role as Director of Media and Campaigns Department at the Ministry of Tourism in Jerusalem where he worked with the Ministry’s marketing leadership and directed a global network of 19 public relations managers. His responsibilities included content collaborations, media purchasing, social media strategy and global marketing campaigns. Among his recent projects was the “I AM ISRAEL” campaign targeting North American markets, which launched in June 2026. Mansour also brings first- hand tourism experience to the role, having previously worked as a professional tour guide. He speaks Arabic, Hebrew and English and is conversant in Chinese.
T he Israel Ministry of Tourism (IMOT) has appointed Taimur Mansour as Consul, Director of Tourism for Canada, with the Toronto-based appointment taking effect this month. Mansour will lead the Ministry of Tourism’s efforts to grow travel from Canada to Israel, with a mandate that includes developing strategic partnerships with Canadian travel industry stakeholders, tour operators, media and airlines. He will also oversee roadshows, targeted marketing campaigns and content initiatives aimed at showcasing the Israeli experience to Canadian travellers. Mansour is a member of the Druze community and has a strong connection to Israel’s diverse cultural and religious cultural knowledge, global campaign experience and genuine personal connection to Israel’s story, and that combination will resonate strongly with the Canadian market,” says Yoram Elgrabil, tourism commissioner for North America at the Israel Ministry of Tourism. “Canada represents one of our most promising markets. Canadian travellers are among the world’s most curious and heritage.“Taimur brings a combination of deep
The trip comes as tourism from the United States began to pick up this summer, just ahead of next month’s resumption of direct flights to Tel Aviv by two major U.S. airlines
A group of American travel agents visited Israel this week in a push for postwar tourism following a period of regional turbulence that reduced travel to the Holy Land. The weeklong trip, sponsored by the Israeli Ministry of Tourism, comes as the number of visitors from just ahead of next month’s much-anticipated return to Tel Aviv by two major US legacy carriers. “People do want to come; it’s just the fear factor of ‘Oh my God, it’s the Middle East,’” said Sima Pagash, a Los Angeles travel agent at Destinations and Adventures. “Being here for the first time, it’s been an eye-opener: I felt it’s like anywhere else.” Her message to clients who thought she was crazy to come to Israel: “Stop worrying about the what-ifs and enjoy life.” “I felt safer walking on the streets of Jerusalem and Tel Aviv than driving in my car in Atlanta,” said Henriette Ostrzega, a travel designer the United States began to pick up this summer,
with Amara Voyages. “From what we see in the media in the U.S. or Europe, it’s always bad all the time or a focus on isolated incidents. This is not the reality you see on the ground.” “There is a reticence and fear of coming to Israel in the travel industry even though everyone is eager to come,” said Richard Liverance, marketing director for the Israeli Ministry of Tourism in Los Angeles. “They are just waiting for the right time for things to settle down.” With a tenuous ceasefire now in place, tourism from the United States was up 15% in July compared with the same month last year, with Americans making up one- third of all tourists entering Israel last month. “As a Jewish American, life in the U.S. has become scary with every day another antisemitic incident and a lot of us asking where are we going to go,” said Dana Rasof of Exclusive Travel Partners in the Chicago suburb of Deerfield, who was last in Israel a quarter-century ago.
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