TORONTO — After welcoming over four million Canadian visitors in 2018, the ****** Ministry of Tourism (IMOT) is ready to reach five million in 2019.

****** can be characterized by its 365 days of beautiful weather, broad spectrum of experiences and unlimited potential for travellers and travel agents.

The numbers continue to increase month to month and the tourism board is looking forward to welcoming more visitors.

From Canada, the outlook is strong, particularly with newly appointed Consul, Director for Canada, Gal Hana. Yesterday at IMOT Canada’s new offices at Yonge and Bloor in Toronto, Jerry Adler, Deputy Director, Director of PR and Communications, and Ellen Melman, Director Operations and Marketing, introduced Hana as part of a media briefing covering everything that’s new with the destination. Hana joined IMOT two years ago, as Professional Advisor to the Director General.

With a marketing plan that focuses on Jerusalem and ********, IMOT has seen success in branding ****** not only with faith-based tourism product, but also more cosmopolitan experiences in its biggest cities, plus the country’s wonderful weather and adventure and leisure opportunities.

Newly opened is the Eilat-Ramon International Airport in southern ******’s Negev Desert. This gateway brought in 50 new routes in 2019 and services the area near and surrounding popular beach resort Eilat.

Meanwhile the National Aviation Authority reported a 28% increase in ******* routes from foreign destinations with over 1,000 routes to ********. ********** has daily flights to ****** and El Al offers three times weekly service. Both airlines report load factors in the 80-85% range.

****** as a faith-based tourism destination is more of a self-selling product, as described by Hana, however what agents should recognize are the other markets and age categories that the destination appeals to. Promoting all sectors of the destination can highlight the various experiences travellers can have.

****** has been dogged by perceptions, real or not, of safety and security challenges but Hana says he feels this is a global issue now and that it’s important to show the evolution ****** has experienced in recent years.

Each area has different characteristics, and one strategy the IMOT is looking into for the next 20-30 years is finding how to showcase a little bit of everything that ****** can offer, from its ******** Pride to relaxing in the **** Sea.

Working with the travel trade is very important for IMOT, says Hana. “We still see a huge segment of tourism that is loyal to traditional travel advisors, and we see the importance of approaching them and showing them the potential of ******.”

******’s hotel industry is booming, and occupancy rates are high, in ******** (76%), Eliat (72%), Jereusalem (83%), and Tiberias (75%). There are 12,000 rooms currently and plans for 5,000 hotel rooms to come in the next few years.

IMOT is also looking at new solutions for accommodation, for example, repurposing and transforming older hotels and buildings into unique boutique hotels.

IMOT says a big goal right now is to promote the Israeli potential to investors. Hana says events such as Eurovision and Giro d’Italia have been very effective at showing ******’s vibrant atmosphere.

****** is a once in a lifetime experience that people should start taking now, says Hana. The destination can be enjoyed by all types of travellers, as accessibility has been a focus for ****** in recent years, with more navigable areas and wheelchair friendly areas.

Adler notes that ****** has a 93% satisfaction rate with visitors, and a 45% return factor.

Adds Hana: “We are very confident in the product we offer, because everyone can find what they’re looking for in ******.”