MINISTRY OF TOURISM
Tourism Ministry to Invest in Israel's Tourist Infrastructure The ministry aims to increase incoming tourism to reach its goal of 10 million incoming tourists a year
T he Israel Tourism Ministry is launch- ing an initiative to develop the country’s tourism infrastructure with an expected budget of 300 million ILS. The ministry is inviting local authori- ties and public bodies to submit requests for as- sistance with projects that will significantly contribute to tourism, both incoming and domestic. “I invite local authori- ties and public bodies to submit requests for as- sistance with projects that will make a real difference, projects that will make a significant contribution to incoming tourism and domestic tourism”, said the initiative’s manager, Tourism Ministry Director- General Dani Shahar. The ministry released a list of policies for funding assistance, which includes emphasis on overnight ac- commodation expansion,
to bolster Israel’s tourism numbers. “This budget will help us meet the goal we have set ourselves: 10 million tourists a year by 2030”. That massive influx of tour- ists will greatly benefit Is- rael in a multitude of ways, explained the minister. “Tourists, who inject tens of billions of ILS into the Is- raeli economy, will provide livelihoods for many Israe- lis and create hundreds of new jobs, especially in the periphery. More tourists - less taxes”. The ministry intends to continue investing in long-term plans that will improve the tourism sec- tor in Israel, such as the expansion of the country’s hotel supply, the improve- ment in service given to tourists and the reduction of vacation costs in Israel, because, as Razvozov put it, “taking a vacation is not only for the rich”.
bike path construction and the development of Ultra-Orthodox tourism and wine tourism, besides general infrastructure im- provement in order to ac- commodate more tourists. The ministry will deter- mine its contribution to projects based on a number of criteria includ- ing their contribution to incoming tourism as well as the region’s economic development, their main- tainability, the presence of a tourist site or hotel accommodation near the project and contribution to domestic tourism. Authorities receiving aid to upgrade their locales for tourists to enjoy will have exclusive responsibil- ity for maintenance, and will be asked to carry out
all ongoing maintenance works at their expense after the project has been completed. This scale of project hasn’t been seen in Israel’s tour- ism industry for years. Tourism Minister Yoel Razvozov noted that it is possible now thanks to the current government’s abil- ity to lock down a budget (a feat that the Knesset struggled with for several years prior to Bennett’s government). “After years without a state budget, the Israel Tourism Ministry is allocat- ing significant amounts of money to establish and upgrade tourism infrastructure throughout Israel,” said Razvozov. He explained that the primary goal of the initiative is
“This budget will help us meet the goal we have set ourselves: 10 million tourists a year by 2030”.
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