Under the instructions of the Tourism Minister Dr. Uzi Landau, the Tourism Ministry is operating a situation room headed by Tourism Ministry Director-General Amir Halevi. The minister holds consultations with the Foreign Minister and the Transport Minister, in order to offer solutions to the hundreds of tourists whose flights have been canceled, in order to ensure that no tourist will be left without accommodation. Tourism Minister Dr. Uzi Landau “The skies over Israel remain open thanks to the foreign airlines who continue their scheduled flights into the country. We are in close contact with the Federation of Israeli Tourism Organizations in order to provide urgent solutions to people and businesses in the tourism industry. I have instructed ministry personnel to ensure that every tourist in Israel receives a response.”

The Director-General receives constant updates from Israel and overseas and holds regular consultations with tourism industry figures in order to minimize the damage to tourism to Israel. As such, the Director-General briefed ministry employees on the current situation and instructed them to provide solutions to all those tourists stranded without accommodation following the cancellation of their flights. Halevi also spoke today with foreign airline representatives, who informed him that they are taking full responsibility for the situation that has developed and they are taking care of those tourists whose flights were canceled. The Tourism Ministry is providing accommodation vouchers for those tourists whose airlines are not providing them with accommodation.

24 hour hotline for tourists in Israel

Thousands of tourists are currently in Israel at the present time. The Tourism Ministry has opened a 24 hour hotline to ensure that any tourist whose flight was canceled is not left without an accommodation solution. Tourists who experience difficulties as a result of the current situation are invited to contact the offices at Ben-Gurion airport, which is manned 24 hours a day: 03-975-4260.

Increased flights into and out of Israel

Israeli carriers El Al, Arkia and Israir continue to operate as normal in order to provide an answer for passengers on other carriers. 22 foreign airlines continue to fly into Israel as scheduled, including British Airways, Aeroflot and Ukrainian Airlines which operate several flights a day. Today, 209 flights will operate at Ben-Gurion airport, with 132,000 arrivals and departures (not including flights arriving in Uvda airport near Eilat from noon today). It should be noted that since the onset of Operation Protective Edge until yesterday (July 22), all foreign airlines continued to fly into Israel as scheduled with the sole exception of one foreign airline that suspended its operation for one week. As things stand at the moment, it would appear that several foreign airlines intend to recommence operations to Israel.

Preparations for the “day after”

At the same time, the ministry is working in all aspects related to the cessation of the operation, in order to stimulate as swift a recovery as possible for tourism in Israel. Tourism Ministry Director-General Amir Halevi noted that “tourism in Israel has experienced similar crises in the past and has known how to deal with them. We believe that the Israel tourism product is unique and attractive and we are already preparing for a broad marketing campaign that will launch ‘the day after’.

Working around the world

The 19 Tourism Ministry offices around the world are working on a special footing, providing airlines, travel agents, church and community leaders with information about the current situation and preparing the groundwork for a tourism recovery as soon as the security situation ends.

(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)