The
Israel Government Tourist Office in China is organizing a Road Show
in three cities this week (Rosh Chodesh Menachem Av to 5 Av):
Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou. 500 leading Chinese travel agents
are invited to attend the Road Show, some of them being specialists
in the Middle East market.
Following
the seminars, which will expose the participants to the Israeli
tourism product, there will be a series of round-table meetings
between Israeli and Chinese tour operators to encourage cooperation.
The ministry has also produced a booklet in Chinese, featuring
business profiles of the Israeli companies participating in the Road
Show.
The
Road Show, which is accompanied by extensive advertising in the trade
and mainstream media, will also feature attractions such as Israeli
food, Dead Sea mud treatments etc.
The
Israel Embassy in Beijing recently announced the implementation of
reforms for Chinese visitors receiving entry visas to Israel, in
order to encourage tourism. These include, among others, an option
for a visa for independent travelers without the need for assistance
from a local tour operator; a simpler procedure for issuing business
visas to Israel and for bank guarantees for residents of Beijing,
Shanghai and Guangzhou (where Israel has consular offices. It should
be noted that, presently, Israeli consular services are not available
worldwide due to a work dispute by Foreign Ministry employees). These
easier procedures are part of a program to make Israel more
accessible to the Chinese tourist and to encourage airlines to
operate flights to Israel in the near future.
In
recent years, Israel has become an attractive tourism destination for
the Chinese visitor, with an increase of 27% in incoming tourism from
China during the first five months of 2013 versus the same period
last year (and a 45% increase on 2011). China is the most important
source country worldwide for tourism, with an increase of 20% in the
numbers of visitors from China to international destinations during
2010-2011. In 2012, more than 20,000 visitors from China arrived in
Israel.
Tourism
Minister Dr. Uzi Landau stated “The Tourism Ministry has identified
the tourism potential in China, defining it as one of the leading
destinations in its campaign for emerging markets. As a result, we
will work to increase the number of incoming tourists from China to
Israel over the next few years. The two countries are rich in ancient
history and heritage and I am sure that Chinese tourists will find
Israel a source of inspiration.”
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