March 2012 No

In The Issue
Eastern Mediterranean Tourism/Travel
Welcome to Israel. Welcome to ITB, Berlin
Israel Ministry of Tourism - Consul for Tourism Affairs, Russian Federation and CIS
Neta Peleg-Briskin holding the plaque she received at the opening ceremonies at IMTM
2012 for “...for her unflagging dedication and efforts in helping make Russia, Israel’s
second largest incoming tourism market.” Also pictured (left to right) are Israel Travel News
Ltd. Publisher & Editor-in-Chief Eyal Shmueli, Israel Minister of Tourism Stas Misezhnikov and
Ortra Ltd. President & CEO Lior Gelfand. For additional photos and data regarding IMTM
2012, please turn to pp. 4, 61 and 73.
March 2012
No.338
4 Ministry of Tourism Christian YouTube Channel 10 Crowne Plaza Israel Reorganization
20 Bayit Bagalil to Orchid Hotel Management 24 M&G Tourism Update 46 Spotlight on
Nazareth 57 Tourism Arrivals and Day Visits by Country of Citizenship, January-December
2011 64 O.S. Tours & Travel 66 Tel Aviv: “Best of Gay Cities”
Visit our Website: www.itn.co.il
The Tourist Trade Journal of the Eastern Mediterranean

Studio Sharon Raz
Organizers
Tel. 972-3-6384444
Fax. 972-3-6384455
Tel. 972-3-5251646-7
Fax. 972-3-5251605
19th International Mediterranean Tourism Market
Mark your
Calendar
����������
The Israel Trade Fairs and Convention Center, Tel Aviv
www.imtm-telaviv.com

March 2012 No. 338
IMTM 2012
Round-up
IMTM 2012, the 18th International
Mediterranean Tourism Market,
took place on 14-15 February 2012 at
the Israel Trade Fairs & Convention
Center, Tel Aviv. The 4400 m² of
exhibition space was similar in size to
the space booked by suppliers in 2011.
The 358 booths were slightly more
than last year’s 351 - and well above the
307 in 2010 and the 260 in 2009.The
number of exhibitors grew from 1120
(in 2011) to 1135, while the number of
participating countries dropped slightly
from 38 to 36.
Trade visitors from abroad jumped
substantially by more than 30 percent
- from 1050 to 1370 - though the
number of hosted buyers declined from
150 to 105. The total number of trade
visitors was up slightly from 10,800 to
11,820 and the number of visitors was
estimated at about 23,000, up from last
year’s 22,000 or so.
Next year’s IMTM is scheduled to take
place 5-6 February 2013.
Israel at Southern
Baptists Convention
Representative of the Israel Ministry of
Tourism will be appearing for the first
time ever at the annual convention of
the Southern Baptists, scheduled to be
held this coming June in New Orleans,
Louisiana. About 11,000 delegates take
part each year in the convention.
4
Cutting the ribbon to officially open the Jerusalem booth at IMTM 2012.
Pictured (left to right) are: Ilanit Melchior, tourism manager for the Jerusalem
Development Authority (JDA); JDA Chairman Moshe Leon, and Jerusalem
Mayor Nir Barkat.
Ministry of Tourism Christian
YouTube Channel
After being run in for a number of months, the Israel Ministry of
Tourism launched its own Christian Youtube channel late last year
(http://www.youtube.com/user/HolyLandVisit?blend=22&ob=5).
According to a spokesperson for the Ministry, the initiative was taken
in order “…to arouse curiosity and interest among Christian tourists
all over the world, challenge them to visit Israel and increase the flow
of Christian pilgrimage visitors to the country.”
Films can be found in English, German, Spanish, Portuguese, Japanese,
Russian, Polish and other languages, showing Christian clergy and
community leaders speaking about the uniqueness of a Holyland
pilgrimage experience, along with testimonials by tourists that have
toured Israel, material on Christian religious sites, data on Christian
events and holiday celebrations unique to the country.
This channel is but one facet of the Ministry’s Christian marketing
effort, based on a 2011 budget of NIS 60 million, and which is
continuing this year as well with similar funding. Dozens of
Christian seminars have been planned, as well as visits to
agents and decision makers specializing in pilgrimage

March 2012 No. 338
Studio T
tourism, massive advertising campaigns
in selected Christian media and
meetings with Christian leaders. A
6
Arcadia Hotels Chain
Managing relatively small hotels,
with an emphasis on the
personal touch. Our vision
is to be in line with the needs
of our guests, while ensuring
personal and courteous service.
Arcadia is essentially a family
business. The hotel manager,
the employees and guests in
particular are part of the family.
Central Reservations Office
����� ���� � ������� � ��� ���� � �������
Mail: reserve@arcadiahotels.co.il
The ideal solution for guests who want a vacation
that combines a homelike atmosphere and magical
landscapes. The hotel is located downtown, near the
Cultural Center of Eilat and a short distance to the
beach. It offers a pleasant pool and a Spa with sauna
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A pastoral hotel located on a hillside fronting the
Sea of Galilee and a convenient starting point for
hiking tours and attractions throughout Israel’s
North. All the rooms and public areas were
��������� �� �������� ����� ��� �� ������
Located on the Mediterranean shore, this touristlevel
hotel stands in the center of the Herbert
Samuel Promenade. Guests can enjoy the golden
beaches of Tel Aviv, just across the road. The hotel
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A cozy city hotel located between famous Dizengoff
Street and the Mediterranean Sea - a wonderful
opportunity to enjoy your stay in a warm and
homelike atmosphere near centers of culture and
������������� �� ��� �������� ����� ��� �� ������
competition on Facebook is also being launched, which encourages
participants to access the Christian channels and download material.
“The goal of this type of activity is to increase significantly the number
Promoting Israel in the U.S.: Left - Haim Gutin, Israel Tourism Commissioner for North and South America and Minister of
Tourism Stas Misezhnikov (first and third from left), pictured in New York late in February with John Hanratty, chairman
2012 of the United States Tour Operators Association and USTOA President Terry Dale (second and fourth from left).
Right - at the Philadelphia Inquirer Travel Show late in January. Among those pictured are Israel Government Tourist
Office representative Adi Levi and Michal Galili, North American sales representative for the Carlton Hotel Tel Aviv
and Alrov Luxury Hotels, Israel.

March 2012 No. 338
of people entering the
network and to transform it
into a tool to communicate with
the Christian media community
involved in Holyland pilgrimage visits,”
the spokesperson adds.
This is the Ministry’s second Christian
Youtube channel, following that
dedicated to the Catholic market
(http://www.youtube.com/user/
HolylandPilgrimage).
Ministry Unveils
Gospel Trail
Late last year the Israel Ministry of
Tourism launched the Gospel Trail, a
62 kilometer trail that begins at Mount
Precipice near Nazareth and ends at
Capernaum, on the northwestern
shores of the Sea of Galilee. The route
is a series of signposted footpaths and
roads that are navigable either by foot,
bicycle, horse and/or car. The path is a
modular trail that follows the paths Jesus
is said to have taken from Nazareth to
the Sea of Galilee.
In cooperation with the Jewish National
Fund, the Ministry of Tourism
has invested NIS three million in
developing the trail’s infrastructure, as
part of a wider economic and tourism
plan promoted by the Ministry, with
the hope of attracting more tourists and
travelers to the Galilee region and turn
it into a bustling tourism center.
The Gospel Trail should not be
confused with The Jesus Trail, a
65-kilometer hiking trail from Nazareth
to Capernaum that was established in
2007.
8
A trail marker along the Israel Ministry of Tourism’s new Gospel Trail.
In questioning the necessity and motives of this second route, a
spokesperson for the Jesus Trail says: “The Gospel Trail does not pass
through the diverse communities of the Galilee, favoring forests and
Jewish areas instead of accurately portraying the diversity of people
who live there. This has a variety of disadvantages. By leaving the Arab
towns of Nazareth, Mashhad and Cana out of the route, not only do
hikers lose important access to bus routes, water and food, but they
also miss interaction with locals and the warm hospitality that these
encounters provide. For most Jesus Trail hikers, diverse experiences of
hospitality in Jewish and Arab areas have been the highlight of their
experience.”
New Corporation to Manage
Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai’s Tomb
on Mt. Meron
Further to the recommendations of the Israel Ministry of Tourism,
the Israeli government has created a new government corporation
overseen by Minister of Tourism Stas Misezhnikov and charged
with the responsibility of creating the proper permanent

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March 2012 No. 338
infrastructure at the
tomb of Rabbi Shimon
bar Yochai, on Mt. Meron in
the Galilee, to which hundreds of
thousands of traditional Jews flock
annually on the Jewish holiday of Lag
B’Omer, and which is also visited on
an ad hoc basis throughout the year.
The government has allocated NIS 27
million for the project, with plans also
calling for the corporation to manage
the site.
Hotel Development
Grants
The Israel Ministry of Tourism has
published its procedures for 2012-3 for
developers interested in being eligible
for grants to construct new hotels in
Israel or expand existing properties,
and it has allocated the sum of NIS 120
million for this purpose. Operating via
its Investments Authority, the Ministry
of Tourism has approved grants for 1340
new rooms already, for a total of NIS
204.5 million - granted on investments
totaling NIS1.2 billion. Of these, 458
rooms are currently under construction
and about 2100 new rooms were added
these past two years. The grants are for
20 percent of investment in properties
in the national tourism priority areas
as defined by the government: Eilat;
Netanya; Haifa; Nazareth; the Beit
Shean Valley, the Golan Heights and
the Galilee, with 28 percent available
for construction in Jerusalem, “due to
its special priority status,” a Ministry
spokesperson affirms.
10
Ami Tzubary, director of the Israel Government Tourist Office, Germany with
“Mrs. World Germany“ Nicole Dolz at the Israel booth at the Eat & Style Fair
in Stuttgart late last year.
HOTELS
Crowne Plaza Israel Reorganization
Having taken over as general manager of (the former) Africa Israel
little more than one year ago - after serving for no more than four
months as the chain’s director of marketing - and changing its brand
name to Crowne Plaza & Holiday Inn Hotels Israel (see EMTT #329),
Ron Yariv has devoted much time until now to reorganization. “It has
been on just about every level,” he recalls: “developing a new staff;
finding the right niches for people, and using this as a platform for
other specific changes we made in areas like marketing and PR. We
have also developed a process to enhance the connection between the
main office and the general managers of our hotels. It finds expression
in commercial areas, such as procurement, but also in marketing and
construction, and training too, based on specific chain-wide standards,
and from the feedback I get, this new synergy has given our GMs a
greater feeling of partnership.
“We have streamlined our sales procedures too, giving our people
the hardware and software tools to close deals any time anywhere
on line, in real time, on their laptop.”

March 2012 No. 338
“Just be Happy”
Another change Yariv
spearheaded was in developing
the chain’s “Just be Happy”
campaign, complemented by its “Do
not Disturb” logo. “When we decided
on the campaign, we knew that it had
to begin with our staff, since if our
employees are happy, our guests would
be happy too. We decided to adopt the
“heart of the house” concept of IHG,
the international hotel management
company that owns the Crowne Plaza
and Holiday Inn brands, adding many
small touches in aid of staff welfare. On
the other hand, we began inculcating
‘being happy’ in them, impressing upon
them the importance of making this
mantra a part of our daily vocabulary.
As to our guests, everyone is invited to
let us know what makes them happy
- a discount at the spa or the hotel
restaurant, a discount voucher for a
future atay, or even the time they prefer
their room to be cleaned. The idea is to
12
offer guests something they choose, provide them with an ambience
that makes them feel happy, attend to their needs and otherwise give
them the freedom and space to do what they enjoy.”
Aside from the welcome benefit, each hotel hosts a “Happiness Hour”
for its guests, and they are treated to tidbits such as fortune cookies
chocolate on their bed pillow, “… and there are other treats and other
surprises as well,” Yariv adds. “Some will be free of charge, others will
be a product we sell, such as a new format we will be inaugurating this
coming summer, ensuring our guests that something culinary is always
happening in the hotels - a different station that is set up throughout
the day, to serve special treats. Guests can buy daily vouchers and
enjoy the different food every few hours, which we will be handing
out in the lobby. But even more important than all of these ‘happy’
elements, is the ongoing pro-active contact between staff and guests.
We know that’s what guests want, and the results of our efforts are
reflected in the questionnaires we have been receiving. IHG checks
90 random and anonymous questionnaires every month, filled out by
guests staying at our hotels. The standard is a 90 percent satisfaction
rate, and as a result of this new approach, our levels have been above
standard.”
Company Marketing Forum
Cooperation has also been strengthened between the chain and
IHG’s head office in Denham, U.K., with emphasis on marketing
in particular. Crowne Plaza & Holiday Inn Hotels Israel has hosted
The Saxo Bank cycling team during its visit to Israel late last year: Left - at the C Hotels’ Hacienda Forestview in the Western
Galilee; right - at Isrotel’s Beresheet Hotel, MitzeRamon - hotel General Manager Sylvia Cohen (far right) pictured
together with some of the team, including Tour de France Champion Alberto Contador (third from left).

March 2012 No. 338
14
P R E M I E R
I S R A E L
T he perfect combination
between historical sites and
today’s comfort situated
near main tourist locations
fam trips for the international chain’s
marketing people, to introduce them
to the destination and the hotels,
and it and IHG are in the process of
establishing a company marketing
forum, a service IHG offers its franchise
properties in various countries. Based
on this agreement, which Yariv expects
to be signed very soon, both sides will
decide on marketing targets and budget,
with the international chain matching a
percentage of what the Israel company
decides to appropriate for this purpose.
If all goes according to plan, he also
expects a marketing program based on
this forum to be ready by this coming
June. Aside from this joint effort, the
JERUSALEM
A n intimate hotel with a warm welcome. In the heart of Jerusalem, the newly renovated Caesar
Premier Hotel Jerusalem offers vacationers and business guests a warm and courteous welcome in the heart
of Jerusalem. The hotel is just a 30 minute drive from Ben Gurion Airport and less then an hour’s drive to
Tel Aviv or the Dead Sea. It is close to many of Jerusalem’s famous historical sites and very near to the
International Convention Center.
TIBERIAS
S ituated on the lakeside promenade by the Sea of Galilee, the newly renovated Caesar Premier Hotel
Tiberias is an ideal starting point for tours to all the famous holy and historical sites throughout the Galilee
region. As well it is close to the main shopping and entertainment centers in Tiberias.
Hamat Caesar Hot Springs is the only SPA in the northen region where you can enjoy all the comforts of
a modern SPA including a spring water pool from the springs of Hamat Gader, all located within the hotel.
E I L A T
T he newly renovated hotel is situated by the beautiful Lagoon’ offering a breathtaking view of the Red
Sea and the Edom Mountains. The Caesar Premier Hotel Eilat and the Eilat promenade, which is right on the
hotel's doorsteps, are just a short walk to the seashore and to the main shopping and entertainment centers. The
hotel has spacious and comfortable rooms and the ambiance of the public areas offer a relaxed and friendly stay.
Israeli chain has targeted both Russia and pilgrimage from the U.S. as
its two major marketing focal points for 2012.
Renovations
Along with overseeing the company reorganization, Yariv also allocated
funds last year for property renovation. These included redoing five
floors of rooms in the Crowne Plaza Jerusalem, nearly bringing to
completion a multi-annual rooms renovations project in the hotel,
as well as two floors at the Crowne Plaza Dead Sea. Renovations to
elevators and banquet halls at the Crowne Plaza Tel Aviv took place
in 2011, and expectations are for two totally refurbished floors to be
ready by April. In addition, construction on the Crowne Plaza Ashdod
is finally back on keel, and plans call for the hotel to open some time
this summer. Plans have not been finalized yet as to renovations
later this year, but Yariv speaks about the Crowne Plaza Tel Aviv
dining room and/or façade as candidates for upgrading, as well
as the Crowne Plaza Dead Sea lobby, and of starting to

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March 2012 No. 338
16
Holiday at the "pearl of netanya"
Great experience in all seasons
renovate additional floors at the Dead
Sea property by the end of 2012 or
some time in 2013.
Fattal News
After inaugurating the Herods Tel Aviv
last year, presiding over improvements in
the Le Méridien Dead Sea spa, opening
the Leonardo Boutique Rehovoth and
launching the U Coral Beach Club, the
former Club Med property in Eilat (see
EMTT #337), the Fattal Hotel Chain
has invested about NIS 30 million in
renovating the Herods Eilat, based on a
design by hotel developer and part owner
Joab Igra, reports the chain’s Assistant
General Manager, Marketing Roni
The newly renovated
and expanded Seasons Hotel
Creates a spacious, comfortable
and elegant ambiance
in its facilities both public and private.
Locates near the city center
Overlooking the public beach with all the amenities.
For reservation please call: 972-9-8601520 / 555 Or ask your travel agent
www.seasons.co.il
Aloni, with a large percentage of the investment devoted to increasing
the size and scope of the hotel dining room by about 50 percent and
upgrading its “marché” concept. At the same time, the area in the
lobby adjacent to the dining room that serves as the property’s a la
carte restaurant has also been adapted to serve as a VIP dining room.
In addition, 300 of the hotel’s 400 rooms are been refurbished, with
work scheduled to be completed by early April. Facelifting activities in
the other 100 rooms are also being implemented.
At the Magic Palace Eilat, 12 totally new suites have been developed,
and the capacity of the dining room has been increased by about 30
percent. “It too is marché style and features frontal cooking,” Aloni
adds.
Marketing
In other news from the chain: “We added Moshe Elazar to our
staff last year as director of North/South America markets [see
EMTT #332] and have been investing much more seriously

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March 2012 No. 338
in the North American market and from
Brazil, and we have been seeing good
results from Canada and from Jewish
and Christian markets as well,” Aloni
reveals. “Plans call for Moshe to travel
to the Western hemisphere about fourfive
times a year, for a couple of weeks at
a time, sometimes with other members
of our management team, with most
of his activities are carried out vis-à-vis
agents. At the same time, appointing
Shaina Skorak to the position of
director of the French market has
improved our presence there, and we
have been allocating increased resources
to Russia, where our position has also
been strengthened, The U.K. is another
18
The King Solomon Jerusalem
In a city where location is everything, the King Solomon Hotel places you at the center of
Jerusalem, at the crossroads of this ageless city and its modern counterpart. In your guestroom
there is individually controlled air-conditioning, color TV, mini fridge and direct-dial telephone
service, and your unforgettable view of the City of Gold. For your dining enjoyment somptuous
Buffets or the Lobby Lounge for light snacks and drinks, all GLATT KOSHER. With only 148
rooms and suites the King Solomon Hotel offer a quite, service oriented experience..
King Solomon Hotel Jerusalem m
32 King David St., Jerusalem 94101, Israel l
Telephone: 972-2-5695555 Fax: 972-2-6241774 4
E-mail: reservationjeru@kingsolomon-hotel.com m
King Solomon’s Hotels, Tiberias & Jerusalem
For The Experience That Is Israel!
The King Solomon Tiberias
Overlooking a breathtaking view of the Sea of Galilee, the Golan Heights and the holy
sites, the hillside “KING SOLOMON” Hotel is surrounded by magnificent gardens.
It features personalizes, friendly service that is certain to pamper each and every guest.
218 spacious rooms, most with terrace, air-conditioning, direct-dial and radio. Rooms for
disabled and non-smokers are also available. A huge outdoor swimming pool with spacious
sunning areas. Areas for table games; card game room. A luxurious health spa with sauna,
massage treatments and a Jacuzzi with a great view of the Sea of Galilee.
.
King Solomon Hotel Tiberias .
7 Hashomer St., Tiberias 14265, Israel .
Telephone: 972-4-670-0500 Fax: 972-4-671-5103 .
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market to which we would like to return in a more meaningful way,
especially for our properties in Tel Aviv, and our regional manager
Anat Zingel will be going there soon.”
Ever since Fattal Hotels absorbed the former Sheraton and Accor
properties more than two years ago, incoming tourism for the chain
has increased to about 35-38 percent of its overall mix, in terms of both
revenue and number of guests, Aloni volunteers: “good growth from
the pilgrimage and Jewish markets in both Tiberias and Jerusalem,
and leisure tourism to both Eilat and the Dead Sea region, as well
as significant increases from Russia, Holland, Belgium and Sweden.
Elsewhere in the chain, business tourism to the Tel Aviv area has been
growing apace, and perhaps our biggest surprise has been Rehovoth,
where demand has been increasing to such a degree that we even have
been directing overbookings to Tel Aviv”!

Shrine of the Book
Ruth Youth Wing for Art Education
Model of Jerusalem
in the Second Temple Period
Billy Rose Art Garden
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March 2012 No. 338
Bayit
Bagalil to
Orchid Hotel
Management
Orchid Hotel Management has
purchased 50 percent of Bayit Bagalil
(“House in the Galilee”), situated in the
Biria Forest in the Upper Galilee, not
far from Rosh Pina, on a plot of land
covering about 7.5 acres. The agreement
also gives the Orchid chain the right to
manage the 26-suite property as it sees
fit.
“It is a beginning for us in the North,”
says Lior Gabay, general manager of the
Orchid Tel Aviv, who, in his capacity as
regional general manager of the chain,
will also be responsible for managing
Bayit Bagalil, “especially since the
tourist village we are developing at
Kursi, on the eastern shores of the Sea
of Galilee, will not be ready until 2014
at the earliest.”
In taking over management of Bayit
Bagalil, Orchard Hotel Management
has started to renovate the property
and introduce chain-wide standards, in
service as well as facilities. “The suites
have been renovated, and each has been
outfitted with 100-channel cable TV, as
have the public areas, the spa and the
swimming pool area,” Gabay remarks.
“We have installed an espresso machine
in the dining room, for guests to enjoy
free of charge, and a coffee machine in
the spa, similar to the one we have in the
lobby. As with guests in all of our hotels,
those staying at Bayit Bagalil will also
be able to enjoy free Wi-Fi connectivity
20
A new Orchid Reef Hotel, Eilat bedroom.
throughout the property without the need for a user name or password,
free laptop and bicycle rental free and free spa entrance, and they can
make international telephone calls free of charge. In addition, we have
started a staff-training program. We will be targeting the FIT market
in particular, and also marketing the property for family events, such as
bar mitzvahs and weddings - and eight such events have been booked
already, including a number by tourists from abroad. We have also
launched a new hotel website in English, Hebrew and Russian, with
plans to add German and French, and we have signed agreements
with the major Internet booking sites. We expect to introduce other
improvements as well, such as a chef’s a la carte restaurant.
Elsewhere in the Chain
Late this past November, Orchid Hotel Management closed down
the 80-room Orchid Reef Hotel, Eilat, which it owns and manages,
for renovations and upgrading, and the hotel is scheduled to reopen
by the end of March. “We have totally renovated every aspect of the
hotel,” Gabay reveals: “rooms; public areas; swimming pool. The
room balconies, for example, have been equipped with modern glass
barriers; the pool area has been enhanced with a wooden deck, and all
sea sports are included in the price of the room. We will be branding
and marketing the Orchid Reef as a hotel on a five-star-deluxe level.”
In Tel Aviv, a new spa has opened at the chain’s Park Plaza Orchard
property, with an entrance on the dining room level as well as from
the street. It features six treatment rooms - including one dedicated
to couples - all with en-suite shower, as well as dry and wet
saunas, and guests can use its facilities free of charge, as

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March 2012 No. 338
22
Tel Aviv
Armon Hayarkon Hotel Tel Aviv
is a business and
pleasure hotel located
on Hayarkon Street, in
one of Tel Aviv's most
lucrative areas, two
minutes from the sea,
Tel Aviv port, marina,
bars, clubs, shopping
centers and ethnic
restaurants. The Armon
Hayarkon Hotel offers
modern, spacious rooms,
well designed to allow
both business and leisure guests to enjoy the facilities,
which include cable TV, free internet access, refrigerator, air
conditioning, coffee-making facilities, safe and hairdryer.
268 Hayarkon St., Tel Aviv 63504, Israel
Tel: 972-3-6055271 Fax: 972-3-6058485
info@armon-hotel.co.il www. armon-hotel.co.il
well as those of the local Holmes Place
facility adjacent to the hotel.
Elsewhere at the Park Plaza Orchid Tel
Aviv, eight new guest rooms plus two
new junior suites have been added to
the hotel’s pool of rooms available to
guests, since it purchased all the privately
owned rooms on the 11th floor of the
Park wing. “We have reconfigured the
space and have opened rooms that are
in mint condition, including the two
suites overlooking the sea, each with
a wood-deck balcony overlooking the
Mediterranean Sea. This is not the first
time we have added new rooms in this
way,” Gabay recalls. “When I joined the
hotel, we had no more than 167 keys to
offer; about 200 are available now.”
Haifa
The Colony Hotel Haifa
A Unique Boutique Hotel
Situated in a preserved building in the German
Colony, the restored historic center of Haifa, with
outstanding views of the world famous Baha'i
Gardens. Completely renovated with 40 luxurious
rooms of the highest design standards, offering free
WiFi, flat-screen cable tv, refrigerator, air conditioning,
coffee-making facilities, safe, hairdryer and a unique
bathroom. The hotel
serves a delicious
Israeli breakfast,
with sundeck, spa,
attractive gardens
and banqueting
facilities.
28 Ben-Gurion Blvd., Haifa 35023, Israel
Tel:+972-4-8513344 Fax:+972-4-8513366
info@colony-hotel.co.il www.colony-hotel.co.il
Elsewhere in Tel Aviv, work is continuing apace on the chain’s hotel
located at the northern entrance to Jaffa on an area where a police
precinct stood in the past, and expectations are for this hotel to open
before the end of 2013.
The Ramada & The Royal
“Even though we are connected and share a common passageway,
essentially, we are two different hotels, the Ramada, which opened
in 1984, and the Royal, a few years later,” explains Gerry Budwig,
revenue manager for the complex known as the Ramada Jerusalem.
“The Royal is not branded as a Ramada property; it is an independent
hotel connected to the Ramada, and it serves the pilgrimage market for
the most part. The rooms are smaller, come without mini fridge and
have old-style TVs, and they are less expensive. Nevertheless, guests
in both properties are served the same food, and those staying at the
Royal are able to use the Ramada’s pool, health club and other
facilities and to sign for extras.”
When Ramada Jerusalem first opened 27 years ago, it

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March 2012 No. 338
was branded as the
Ramada Renaissance
Jerusalem, becoming the
Renaissance afterwards, a name it
kept for 10 years, until the contract
expired in 2008, when the Ramada
franchise agreement was signed (see
EMTT #302).”We began work on the
12th floor at the Ramada the following
year,” Budwig continues, “transforming
it into an Executive floor complete
with an Executive Lounge, which we
developed by eliminating three rooms
near the elevators, and we worked down
from there, with the rooms on the 11th
floor outfitted to the same standards as
those on the 12th, to serve as backup
Executive rooms. The only difference is
that the 12th-floor rooms are somewhat
larger, while those on the 11th feature a
balcony. Half the rooms on both floors
were outfitted with bathtubs; the others
with walk-in showers that occupy
the entire space of the tubs that were
removed. The only exception is the four
12th-floor suites, which feature separate
24
shower and bath.”
At about the same time, work began on adding two sets of connecting
rooms on each floor, a process that continued as additional floors
were renovated. Meanwhile. the Royal corridors were refurbished
with new wallpaper and carpeting, and the curtains and carpeting
was also replaced in the rooms, where mini safes were also added. The
Royal’s dining level received new carpeting too, and the dining room
was equipped with new buffets. The project continued in 2009 with
renovations to the rooms’ bathrooms. In addition, Wi-Fi connectivity
was made available in both the Ramada and the Royal and an Internet
center with six PC stations was created in the corridor between the
two hotels.
In the two years that followed, other aspects of the Ramada Jerusalem
that were improved included the health club and indoor swimming
pool, the dining room and the lobby lounge. There, a new bar area was
developed, to serve as a separation between the lobby’s two a la carte
restaurants, enabling an increase in seating in the non-meat facility and
the addition of a salad buffet counter in the one featuring meat, which
has been elevated.
M&G Tourism Update
“March marks two years,” says Oded Marcus, who together with
partner Gili Gazit founded M&G Tourism in 2010 as an independent
marketing and sales company to serve as a platform for independent
hotels (see EMTT #323). “Since most of our work is incoming tourism,
Dan Tel Aviv visitors: Left - Minister of External Affairs of India S. M. Krishna welcomed to the hotel early in January by
General Manager Etai Eliaz; right - Eliaz and President of Croatia Ivo Josipović, who was accommodated at the hotel in
February.

March 2012 No. 338
our natural clients are
properties in tourism areas,
and we have a presence in most.
We continue to work with most
of the hotels with which we began
- the Blue Bay Netanya, the Golan
Tiberias, the Gallery Haifa and the
Plaza Nazareth. The Tamar Residence
has joined us as our Jerusalem offering
and we have designed two packages for
it based on either three-night or sevennight
minimum stays, and we have
just started to market the Americana
in Eilat. We also are responsible for
incoming marketing activities for the
Marom Golan Resort Village on the
Golan Heights. In addition, we are
now negotiating for two more: a second
Jerusalem property, and a hotel in
Eilat.”
Marketing Approach
“We relate to each hotel individually,”
Marcus continues, “first of all by setting
goals. The Blue Bay, for example, finished
2011 with incoming tourism accounting
for 65 percent of its overnights - up
from 58 percent the previous year - and
we are looking forward to about 70
percent in 2012, meaning an improved
ratio of local and foreign guests and
increased movement from Russia, the
Ukraine, China and Brazil.” Once goals
are set, the company builds an annual
marketing plan for each hotel, as well
as a framework for sales to both groups
and FITs and special programs for
specific market segments. The Gallery
Haifa is one case in point in this regard,
and art lovers are offered two packages,
for either four or seven nights, based on
26
Incoming American Colony Jerusalem General Manager Thomas Brugnatelli
(right) and his predecessor Paolo Fetz at a reception in January at the hotel
to welcome the former and bid farewell to Fetz, who was also honored on the
occasion with the Medal of Knight of the “Mérite Agricole” by the consul general
of France in Jerusalem.
the hotel. The first, for groups up to a busload, features art tours of
Haifa while the second, targeting FIT art connoisseurs, also includes
two guided tours of the hotel’s art exhibition galleries, accompanied
by the Gallery’s in-house curator.
Joint packages are also an option, based on the geographically diverse
products in the company’s portfolio, and to make these more attractive
to tourists, M&G Tourism has started to market FIT fly/drive options
in cooperation with the Shlomo Sixt car rental company, featuring a
Group B rental car with unlimited mileage, contingent on a four-night
or seven-night minimum stays in its properties. A spa option can also
be part of the fly/drive packages, and stay-put spa treatment packages
based on minimum stays are available too, and fliers describing both
of these possibilities are now being produced in English and German.
The joint packages, which offer more attractive prices than if clients
were to book each hotel separately, are based on a minimum of two
properties and an overall five-night minimum stay and they include
extras like an additional meal or cocktail for free, free entrance to
attractions, watersports activities - depending on where the guests
are accommodated. In addition, M&G Tourism maintains its own
reservations center, which handles between 100-150 inquiries a day,
Marcus reports. Its multi-city group packages were very popular
in 2011, he also says, with a product that focused on Jerusalem,
Tiberias and Netanya, and interest in Nazareth as part of

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March 2012 No. 338
this offering has been strong so far this
year, primarily from the Catholic and
Orthodox markets in South America,
Russia, Romania, the Ukraine and even
the Far East.
The Golan Hotel
After having devoted its attention these
past four years to renovating three
floors of the hotel and redecorating
reconfiguring the lobby, the Golan
Hotel, Tiberias has added an outdoor
children’s pool recently, and a massage
area too to its swimming pool area
and has made other improvements
as well, including the installation of a
new wooden deck, improved lighting,
a banister and new pool ceramics. The
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wall close by has been raised, in the interests of greater privacy, the
area has been landscaped anew and new chairs, tables and fencing have
been installed “I have no doubt that this gives us the nicest swimming
pool in all Tiberias,” says Simon Partouche, general manager of the
hotel.
The dining room is the hotel’s next order of business. The carpeting
has been purchased already, and plans are for renovations to start there
quite soon, so that the room will be ready by April. After that, work on
the patio-pergola area is scheduled to commence, and the renovation,
perhaps, of some additional floors.
Markets
“We sense an improvement in the U.S. market for our hotel and from
Brazil and the Far East as well, especially from Korea and China,”
Partouche remarks. “We hosted two groups only from China last
year, but there are about 30 on the books already for 2012, and
the Finnish market is returning to us after a lapse. However,
some of our markets have been weaker, Spanish tourism

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March 2012 No. 338
for example, where we have been
accommodating fewer and smaller
groups.”
Merom Golan
The Merom Golan Resort Village,
located in the Golan Heights on
Kibbutz Marom Golan, started to
expand in 2007 with 12 wooden huts;
28 more were added over the next
two-year period, including one fully
accessible for physically challenged
guests and others for families with up
to three or four children. In addition,
the hotel offers 32 ground-level rooms
that served in the past as homes for
kibbutz members. These, which are
sold for about 20 percent less than the
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huts, adds General Manager Shefi Mor, were transformed into guest
accommodation units in 2000 and can accommodate a couple plus
two children in a single space. Eight of these rooms come with Jacuzzis
instead of showers.
Merom Golan also features a new swimming pool (heated for winter),
and it inaugurated a new lobby/reception area in a new building about
one year ago, complete with a lobby café/bar and a conference room
seating up to 150 guests. In the area of the property cleared by the
removal of the old office, it is starting to build six additional huts on a
standard similar to those it now offers, with expectations that they will
be ready some time this summer: “Then, we will be able to say that
we have realized the first stage of our master plan and we will be ready
to embark on the next phase. The first thing we plan to do will be to
enlarge Habokrim, our a la carte meat restaurant; later, we will be
turning our attention to additional accommodation options, with
the ultimate goal of reaching about 110-120 huts. A spa is also
part of our plans.”
“We’re not a stay-put resort village,” Mor states. “We

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March 2012 No. 338
specialize is tailoring tours and itineraries
in the area for groups and families and in
leading guided horseback, ATV and jeep
tours and treks. Half-board packages
can also be had that include meals at
Habokrim, the “Café Anan,” atop Mt.
Bental, a three-minute drive from the
kibbutz and offering panoramic views
of Israel, Syria and Lebanon, or in the
old kibbutz dining hall, which serves
now as the dining room for hotel guests.
Talks on various topics of relevance to
Israel and the Golan are available too,
in a variety of languages.”
32
New Wing at Hagoshrim
With work now well underway on construction and logistics, a new
48-room wing at the Hagoshrim Kibbutz & Resort Hotel, located
in the Upper Galilee on Kibbutz Hagoshrim, is scheduled to open
on the first day of April this year. The new wing, situated adjacent
to the hotel’s main lobby, contains five floors, four set aside for guest
accommodations and another for a spa that is to be built in 2013. A
VIP Lounge will also be opened for the use of guests in the new wing,
though other guests may purchase access for a daily fee.
“These new rooms are being constructed on a five-star level, in terms
of both size and how we are outfitting them,” reports Hagoshrim
Managing Director Eytan Rachimi. “Each features both shower and
bath, mini safe, a large outdoor patio, slippers, bathrobes and other VIP
treats, and Wi-Fi connectivity is available throughout the building,
free of charge. This is the culmination of a process that began five
years ago, when we took a strategic decision to upgrade all of
our rooms - there were 180 then - and in 2010, when all of

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March 2012 No. 338
them had been renovated,
along with the hotel’s public
areas, and after the dining room
had been expanded from 300 to
420 places and all the systems in the
hotel had been replaced, did the new
construction commence.”
Additional Improvements
With the addition of the new wing -
which includes one suite and one room
affording handicap access - Hagoshrim
has extended its complement to 160,
four of which are suites But feeling that
it needed more, the hotel has decided
to initiate a project lasting a number of
years, to transform all of its one-storey
accommodations into suites. There are
26 sets of rooms in these buildings, and
plans call upgrading a few of them every
year until all are completed.
Hagoshrim offers five different function
halls at present, for groups of between
20 and 300 participants; it now plans to
develop a sixth, with a capacity for up to
450, “…with all the requisite modern
audio-visual aids” Rachimi adds.
Kibbutz Hagoshrim is also home to
a sports and health complex, which
belongs to the hotel and is a five-minute
walk from it. This facility features two
swimming pools, sauna, Jacuzzi and
gym, along with squash and basketball
courts and spa treatment rooms.
“Nevertheless,” Rachimi explains, “our
new facility will be on a higher level. It
will be a 750m² spa, with an authentic
Turkish hamam, dry and wet saunas,
a relaxation room and eight treatment
rooms - one of which will be for
couples.”
34
For Groups
In both 2010 and 2011, incoming tourism accounted for about 30
percent of Hagoshrim’s occupancy and, as usual, Christian pilgrimage
and Jewish resort tourism were its main incoming markets, especially
from Western Europe and North America. Tours of the kibbutz, guided
in English, Spanish and German, are free of charge for groups staying
at the hotel. “Hidden River Valley,” a second group tour, lasting about
45 minutes, follows a signposted route, as participants, maps in hand,
are introduced to the history of the kibbutz and the region. It is guided
in English and is available to groups for a nominal fee.
Atlas Hotels Ranked by TripAdvisor
The Atlas chain’s Shalom Hotel & Relax Tel Aviv property is the only
hotel in Israel to have been included in the list of the “Top 25 Hotels
in the Middle East,” by TripAdvisor. It has been included in the
website’s list of the “Top 25 Hotels for Service in the Middle East,”
along with Atlas’ Harmony Hotel, Jerusalem, while a third property
in the chain, the Art +, Tel Aviv heads the list of the “Top Trendiest
Hotels in the Middle East.”
Georgian singer Nino Katamadze (right) pictured at the Atlas chain’s Melody
Hotel, Tel Avi, where she was accommodated during her visit to Israel
late last year, together with Luda Kupstaitis, the chain’s sales manager,
incoming tourism.

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March 2012 No. 338
Hamat
Gader Update
Situated on nearly 40 acres of land
and featuring four thermo-mineral
sulfur springs of different temperatures,
which were used as far back as Roman
times, as well as a crocodile farm (which
also has alligators and gavials), Hamat
Gader, situated in the southeastern
Golan Heights also opened a separate
“Spa Village” in 2003 on a separate
part of the property, with 17 treatment
rooms, a gym, 29 regular suites -
including three that were upgraded
recently, reports General Manager Ariel
Hirt - and one “slightly larger Royal
Suite” outfitted with a canopied bed.
The entrance area in each of the suites
is equipped with a large Jacuzzi and
personal sauna along with a sitting area
and a coffee/tea set and a large-screen
LCD TV with a full complement of
satellite TV stations is located in the
bedroom, along with a large couch. The
village has two restaurants too, and Hirt
has been working with the chef and an
outside dietician to design menus that
are balanced with more health oriented
items, he explains.
“Our spa village units are still fairly
new and we work hard to maintain
them in excellent condition,” Hirt says.
“We upgraded the bathrooms not long
ago, along with the interior decoration,
and the Jacuzzis are our next order
of business. However, our attention
in the near future will be focused on
constructing a sweet water swimming
pool for the use of village guests. It is
to be built on the site of our old dry
sauna hut, and this new arrangement
36
State Secretary at the Federal Ministry of Education and Research, Germany
Cornelia Quennet-Thielen, pictured at the Sheraton Tel Aviv Hotel & Towers,
during her visit to Israel late last year.
may entail moving some of our treatment rooms, though we have no
plans to increase their number right now. If everything goes according
to schedule. we will start work on it by the end of the year.”
Elsewhere on its grounds, Hamat Gader inaugurated a new camping
area in the area of its historical buildings nearly two years ago, for
the use, primarily, of budget tourists. Eleven such units are now in
operation, and FITs booking them are granted free entrance to all the
other on-site attractions.
“We are also involved in having the zoning regulations covering
construction in the vicinity changed, and when this happens -
hopefully within 18 months of so - plans call for the construction of
another 750 hotel rooms in the area, 250 of which will be ours,” Hirt
reveals.
Incoming Tourism
Until he arrived at Hamat Gader about three years ago, domestic
tourism had been the primary target market for the property, the
general manager recalls. More recently, it has started to court tourists
from abroad too - with emphasis on U.S. Evangelical Christian
groups between September and April - as part of a day-trip package
in the area that includes a stop based on the facility’s thermomineral
pools: “We have been marketing this, and we

March 2012 No. 338
attended the NRB this year for the third
time in a row to showcase this product.
Tourists are beginning to come, but we
are looking forward to better results.
“We are also working hard in the
Russian and Polish markets. We have
a representative in Moscow, and we
have been developing contacts with
agents, attending fairs and taking part
in seminars. There are some good initial
results, and we will be continuing our
efforts there this year as well. Our
emphasis here is on the spa village for
FITs, with packages of up to one week,
including two days of treatments and
the use of all our facilities. As part of
our offerings for this market, we have
38
also developed a program that includes transfers between Ben Gurion
Airport and Hamat Gader, along with a half-day guided tour of the
Golan Heights.”
Hirt would also like to explore the German market, “…but we first
need to understand what the agents would need from us,” he admits.
“We are not quite ready to work on this; next year, perhaps.”
“Green Hills” at Moshav Shoresh
Green Hills, the 40 units remaining at Moshav Shoresh, in the Judean
Hills, is now being marketed via agents, with the goal of increasing
incoming tourism stays, reports David Szeinuk, the hotel’s director of
sales & marketing.
“The property used to consist of 134 rooms,” Szeinuk adds, “but
the Intifada killed tourism here and all the other units were razed,
except for these 40, which we continued to sell directly to FIT
clients as a B&B product. Now, however, we have started to
(Continued on p. 42)

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March 2012 No. 338
Early in February, members of
the tourism industry gathered at the
Knesset (Israel’s Parliament) with the
Knesset tourism lobby headed by MK
Ofir Okunis, at a meeting attended by
a large number of Knesset members
and with the participation of Minister of
Tourism Stas Misezhnikov.
Addressing the guests, Misezhnikov
said: “The government has decided to
allocate NIS 850 million [nearly $225
million] to bolster tourism in the Dead
Sea region - to develop attractions and
rehabilitate environmental damages. As
a result, about 2750 new hotel rooms
will be added by the Dead Sea, which is
excellent news for the region.
“Last year was not easy. We finished
2011 with about 3.5 million tourists,
about the same as the previous year,
and this despite three serious challenges: events in the Arab
world all around us; the European economic crisis, and the
strengthening of the Israeli shekel. I take my hat off to you, MK
Ofir Okunis, chairman of the Knesset’s tourism lobby. You
have chosen a wonderful job. We in the Ministry sometimes
feel as though we are a miniature Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
I headed the tourism lobby during the previous Knesset, and
I did not know then that I would be appointed Minister of
Tourism. We are fortunate. We are dealing with an important
issue, and one that is challenging too.”
In opening the meeting, MK Okunis remarked: “Social justice
means that a person living in peripheral areas of the country
such as Dimona or the Upper Galilee, can find work in the hotel
industry. Israel’s tourism industry is one of the major factors
helping the economy to develop. It employs about 140,000
workers throughout the country, mostly in peripheral regions,
and contributes greatly to Israel’s image all over the world.
The tourism lobby plays an important role in the Knesset, in
helping promote issues of importance to the industry. I see our
task as offering tourism and the hotel industry the recognition
it deserves as a preferential national industry.”
40
Israel Hotel Association
Tourism Day at the Knesset. Pictured (left to right) are: the Tourism
Industries Liaison Bureau Chairman Michael Federmann; Minister
of Tourism Stas Misezhnikov; MK Ofir Okunis, head of the Knesset’s
tourism lobby, and Knesset Speaker MK Reuven Rivlin.
Knesset Speaker Reuven Rivlin: “If there were a tourism crisis in
2011, you, Stas, would have been responsible. If we enjoyed
a successful tourism year, it is due to you. Good going! The
Zionist movement has always understood the value of tourism.
There is nothing like a first-hand impression to strengthen our
grip on this land. I recall the trips I would take in the 1940s
and’50s, when I was in school. They left a lasting impression
on us and on our character. Walking along biblical byways
is crucial to understanding this country. Israeli public relations
take on new meaning and significance for people, when they
visit the country. Looking out over Gilo and Bethlehem from
my home window is of much greater significance than mere
explanations; it shows that the Arabs are here and so are we,
in the same country.”
Michael Federmann, chairman of the Tourism Industries
Liaison Bureau, which represents 13 tourism organization,
added: “Revenue from tourism (both incoming and domestic)
last year was NIS 28 billion, and the added value from
tourism was one of the highest in Israel’s economy. The
added value included: NIS 32 billion (4.3 percent of
Israel’s gross domestic product) - one of the highest
in Israel’s economy. About 140,000 people are
employed in the industry, directly and indirectly.

Occupancy at Israel’s Hotels (Thousands)
Tourists Israelis Total
January 2012 686.6 655.7 1342.3
January 2011 708.6 641.6 1350.2
Percentage of Change -3% +2% -1%
Tourism is a stimulus for foreign investments in Israel. It is an
environmentally friendly industry, since in essence it aims to
preserve the values of nature and landscape.”
IHA scholarships for Beersheba: At a ceremony
in Beersheba, where the Israel Hotel Association
awarded to scholarships to outstanding Hospitality
Studies student at Ben Gurion University of the
Negev. Pictured (second-fifth from left) are IHA
Secretary General Shmuel Zurel; Dr. Nati Urielli
of the university’s Hospitality Studies Department
and IHA Vice President of Human Resources Yoav
Bachar, flanked by the two scholarship recipients.
Addressing the tourism lobby, Israel Hotel Association
President Ami Federmann remarked that in order to create
a profitable and supportive business climate for Israel’s
hotel industry, discriminatory practices affecting it need to
be abolished, such as the laws governing employment and
rest hours, which important as they may be, are not relevant
to hotels, since people use hotel services every hour of the
day. Nevertheless, except for some special cases, this fact
is not taken into consideration. The same is true regarding
employing young people. Municipal property taxes - based
on size and location - are another example. Hotels, by their
very essence, are located in prime real estate areas, but
what about places like Eilat and the Dead Sea region,
where the hotels are located in what are essentially
industrial areas? I take full responsibility
for my words, that sooner rather than later,
we will find ourselves in an impossible predicament,
and hotels in Eilat and the Dead Sea region will be
unable to operate - and this has nothing to do with salary
levels. The time has come to correct this situation and to
place this industry on an equal footing with those industries
that enjoy the highest level of preferential treatment.
Members of the Knesset’s tourism lobby also signed a
manifesto in support of tourism and the industry “The Minister
Netanya visit by the Israel Hotel Association.
Pictured (left to right) are Marco Zibi, chairman of
the Netanya Hotel Association; IHA President Ami
Federmann; Netanya Mayor Miriam Feierberg,
and Naor Chen deputy president of the Israel Hotel
Association and general manager of Netanya’s
Seasons Hotel.
of Tourism and the heads of the tourism industry and its
employees call from the Knesset podium to the government
ministers, Knesset members, leaders of the economy, workers’
leaders and molders of public opinion to stand up for tourism
and to recognize it as an industry of national preferential
importance. Tens of thousands of individuals earn their
living from tourism - in hotels, centers of entertainment, in
resort areas, in food and beverage and in transport. Tens of
thousands of others also work in ancillary industries. Israel’s
tourism treasures are one of the country’s primary national
attributes: landscapes; seashores; historical sites; hotels;
wonderful guest houses, and dedicated professionals.
Therefore, let us mobilize ourselves in support of Israel’s
tourism industry, to preserve workers’ jobs and to be ready
to actualize the potential of the industry. We the undersigned
pledge to insure the future of tourism in the State of Israel and
to help it realize its full potential.”
41

March 2012 No. 338
42
(Continued from p. 38)
invest in the hotel once again.
We are adding a new a la carte
restaurant, scheduled to open in
April, which will also provide meals
for groups. It will operate seven days
a week and will feature 120 places - 50
inside the remainder on the restaurant
deck. Other improvements include
a renovated parking area and a new
reception area, which is being relocated
to the area of the cottages.
All the Green Hills cottages are similar,
with a salon that has been outfitted with
both a single and double convertible
sofa, to accommodate up to a couple
and three children. New flat-screen
TV sets are being added to all the
salons, with the old TV set moved to
the bedroom. Other elements include
a mini fridge, microwave and coffee/tea
set, “and plates and cutlery are provided
for tourists,” Szeinuk adds.
Ethnic Food Festival
Moshav Shoresh is located in the Matei
Yehuda area, which has been sponsoring
an annual ethnic food festival for the
past 12 years, for the local market almost
exclusively. However, there have been
thoughts of expanding the festival’s
scope and marketing it to incoming
tourism too, Szeinuk reports.
Suites Upgrading at
the Alexander Suites
The suites on the sixth and seventh floors
of the main building of the Alexander
Suites, Tel Aviv have been upgraded to
“executive suites,” reports the hotel’s
The photo above, which appeared in EMTT #337, p. 6, was captioned incorrectly.
The text should read: At an event in January for agents specializing in the Russian
market, sponsored by Jerusalem’s Alrov Luxury Hotels, Israel (the Mamilla
Hotel and the David Citadel) and held at the Mamilla Hotel. Pictured (left to
right) are: Mamilla Hotel Director of Marketing & Sales Galit Heller-Halfon;
David Citadel General Manager Chemi Gur; David Tucker, vice president of
marketing and sales for Alrov Luxury Hotels - Israel; Jerusalem Mayor Nir
Barkat; Mamilla Hotel General Manager Eli Maor; Ilanit Melchior, tourism
director for the Jerusalem Development Authority; Sveta Kutin, in charge of the
diplomatic & East European market for the two hotels.
Sales Manager Ksenia Gil, with a new design and with the addition
of espresso machines. The suites, four of which are 45 m², eight that
measure 55 m² and four offering 75 m² of space and featuring two
bedrooms and accommodating up to six, also contain a work desk
and free Wi-Fi use. In addition, all the redesigned suites have been
outfitted with new furniture, including a dining table seating four,
an ergonometric work chair, a redesigned kitchen with microwave
and refrigerator and a two-burner range. Showers have been added to
the rooms categorized as “”luxury” and “superior,” in addition to the
bathtubs, with the extra space taken from the suites’ walk-in closet.
“Guests booking these suites are afforded free access to the hotel’s
business lounge, along with the gym,” Gil adds. “They also receive
free bathrobe and slippers and a daily newspaper to their room, along
with other ‘special’ amenities, which our F&B department is now
developing. As part of this improvement, the corridors have been
enhanced with new lighting and paint.”
Future plans call for transforming suites on other floors in a
similar fashion: “floors two and three maybe even this year.”

Hospitality & Tourism in a Spirit of Peace
Neve Shalom/Wahat al-Salam
Guest House and Conference Center
The Jewish-Arab community of Neve Shalom–Wahat al-Salam, a
country hotel in the Tuscan-like heart of the Judean Hills and a
member of the Judean Hills Hotels Association, offers lodging in
the spirit of peace and coexistence. The guest house is just off the
main road between Tel Aviv and Jerusalem, next to the Monastery
of Latrun .
The 39 garden units spaced over 4 rows afford every room a
spectacular view of the Ayalon Valley. The grounds are surrounded
by welcoming lawns on pleasant corners of the hillside full of trees
and greenery, including local culinary and medicinal herbs. The
rooms are family-style, each with its own terrace, and every room
has individual air-conditioning, refrigerator, coffee corner, satellite
television, personal safe and telephone.
The hotel has a semi-Olympic swimming pool in a pleasant,
manicured setting with shaded lounging areas and lovely views, a
covered wading pool for toddlers, a snack bar, a basketball court
and a soccer pitch.
The guest house has its own fully equipped conference rooms
suitable for hosting seminars and group events for up to 400
participants. The hotel restaurant offers authentic Lebanese
cuisine, and special menus may be arranged for events, parties
and groups. .
For Groups
Neve Shalom–Wahat al-Salam is the closest hotel to Ben
Gurion Airport, and it offers special rates for groups on
������ �������� ��� ����� ��� ������ ��������� ���� ����� �����������
����������� tours and lectures about the Neve Shalom village
���� ��� ������������� ���� ������ ������� ���������� �������� ���
�������������������������������������������������
Neve Shalom / Wahat al-Salam Guest House and Conference Center
For reservations: 02-9993030 � Fax: 02-9917412 � Video: http://www.neveshalom-hotel.com/hotel.WMV
Website: www.neveshalom-hotel.com � Email: hotel@nswas.org

March 2012 No. 338
Elsewhere in the
hotel, the menus at the
Alexander Suites’ rooftop
restaurant, which is open to walkins
as well as hotel guests, has been
upgraded, Gil mentions, as has the
wines menu, which has been reinforced
by the addition of new boutique wines.
Breakfast choices now include items
like muesli, as well as cookies and cakes
outsourced from a local boutique pastry
shop, while stir-fried dishes are available
the rest of the day, with dishes prepared a
la minute. Also, a billiard table has been
introduced in the lobby, together with
a new meeting room with seating for
about 30 participants. The hotel is still
awaiting municipal approval for adding
a swimming pool adjacent to these two
facilities in the area that served as its old
dining room/café in the past.
44
NEW
APPOINTMENTS
American Colony
Thomas Brugnatelli
has taken over as
general manager
of the American
Colony Hotel,
Jerusalem. He
Thomas
Brugnatelli
holds a Diploma
of Commerce and
a Diploma of the
Italian Chamber of Commerce from
the Ecole de Commerce Lémania and
a Certificate of Studies from the Ecole
Hotelière de Lausanne.
Brugnatelli began his career in the hospitality industry in 1991 at
the Hôtel Eden Roc Ascona, Switzerland as administrative assistant
and F&B, before moving to the Tschuggen Grand Hôtel, Arosa,
Switzerland to serve as its F&B manager
Moving to Arizona, he served as assistant banquet manager at the Regal
McCormick Ranch, Scottsdale. Back in Switzerland, he resumed his
hotel career in the position of general manager at the Hôtel des Trois
Couronnes, Vevey, then joined the Grand Hotel, Gstaad - serving as
assistant general manager and later as its GM. His last post before
arriving in Jerusalem, was as general manager of the Starling Hotel at
EPFL, which he opened.
El Al
El Al Israel Airlines has appointed Maria Triantos
to serve as its Midwest regional sales manager,
based in Chicago. In this position, she will also
head the airline’s Christian Liaison office, which
offers assistance to Christian leaders organizing
Holyland pilgrimages.
Triantos has served in a number of positions in the
Maria Triantos
airline industry over the past 30 years, including
a stint working in operations at O’Hare International Airport. She
started her career with TWA, and worked for El Al as its Chicago
Station Manager, from 1990 through 1999.
Rimonim Hotels
Nadav Bracha has taken up the position of
general manager at the Rimonim Galei Kinnereth
Tiberias, moving there from the Ruth Rimonim
Safed, which he has been managing. Bracha,
who holds a B.A. degree in Geography & Land
of Israel Studies from the Jordan River College,
Nadav Bracha
a branch of Israel’s Bar Ilan University, joined
the Rimonim chain about five years ago. Before
taking over the Safed property, he served for three years as general
manager of Rimonim’s Neve Ativ Resort Village, Mt Hermon.
Earlier in his career he worked for the Fattal Hotel Chain, where he
served as human resources manager for some of its Dead Sea and
Eilat properties.

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March 2012 No. 338
Yossi
Moshe
has replaced
Bracha as
general manager
of the Ruth
Yossi Moshe
Rimonim Safed;
he served until this appointment as
assistant general manager, operations at
the chain’s Rimonim Mineral, Tiberias.
Prior to joining Rimonim, Moshe served
as operations manager for the Leonardo
Club Dead Sea, general manager of the
Leonardo Inn, Dead Sea and general
manager of the Tulip Inn, Sea of Galilee
- all part of the Fattal Hotel Chain.
Palm Beach Club
The Palm Beach
Club, Acre has
appointed Yael
Biedermann to the
position of sales &
marketing manager.
Yael Biedermann
46
Her last position in
the industry was as
director of marketing & sales, incoming
tourism for Ophir Tours.
Biedermann, who has spent most of her
career in the tourism industry working
for hotels, served as marketing manager
for the Isrotel Hotel Chain until 2010
and was in charge of its central-region
hotels and niche markets. Prior to that
she was marketing manager for the
(former) Golden Tulip Privilege Dead
Sea, and she worked earlier for Africa
Israel Hotels, her final position there
being incoming tourism sales manager.
SPOTLIGHT ON NAZARETH
Nazareth Tourism
“The Ministry of Tourism has declared Nazareth to be an A-Level
tourism destination, meaning that hotel entrepreneurs are eligible to
receive a grant of 20 percent on their investment, with a 10 percent
grant for new tourist attractions,” explains Tareq Shihada, general
director of the Nazareth Cultural & Tourism Association. “However,
based on a program in cooperation with the Ministry of Tourism to
rejuvenate the Old City and the Economic Development Authority for
the Arab and Druze population, a part of the Prime Minister’s office,
a special grant of 24 percent for the development of between two and
10 rooms in Old City properties was approved about two years ago,
along with a 30 percent grant for tourism-related businesses in the Old
City. The Nazareth City Council approved 15 such businesses in 2011
and others are awaiting approval this year. Approving all of these will
breathe life into the Old City and market area once again.”
As part of efforts to promote tourism in the Arab, Druze and Circassian
communities, the Israel Ministry of Tourism has allocated about NIS
8 million, to be used as grants for entrepreneurs in Israel’s North,
including Isiffiya and Daliat el Carmel, along with Nazareth, about
half of which has been set aside for Nazareth.
Along with financial help, would-be businesses are also granted a 75
percent subsidy for advice and feasibility studies, along with a sliding
scale starting at zero percent on municipal property taxes.
Elsewhere in Nazareth, a number of new hotels are in line for Nazareth
(see below), including a property with 150-160 rooms by Ziad Omari,
with construction scheduled to commence before very long. About
500 rooms all in all are scheduled for development in Nazareth.
“Resuscitating the market area of the city is one of our major priorities,
especially since a number of young local entrepreneurs are showing a
willingness to take part in this venture,” Shihada continues. “One good
example is the Al Reda, an Old City resto-pub that features one 100m²
wood-beam suite on its upper floor, complete with real parquet flooring,
kitchenette, small dining area, refrigerator, oven, washing machine,
DVD, large-screen TV and more. The owner has been granted a 24
percent subsidy to build up to four additional units, and he plans to
add to his property within two years. Local restaurateurs are also
becoming involved, honing their offerings to meet the tastes
of incoming clientele. Chef Souhel Farran, for example,

March 2012 No. 338
owner of the Mejana
a la carte restaurant, which
opened a little more than a
year ago opposite Villa Nazareth,
and who has grown his business
from incoming groups by preparing
meals that reflect their national palates
and cuisine.”
Nazarene Tours
Developments
“Since much of our work is with tourists
coming to Israel as part of two-center or
even multi-center regional packages,
the ‘Arab Spring’ early last year and the
uncertainty that accompanied it brought
about the cancellation of many groups
during the first half of 2011,” reports
Nazarene Tours’ Product Manager Ala’a
Afifi, “since for many people unfamiliar
with the region, unrest in places like
Libya or Tunisia scares them away from
visiting anywhere in the Middle East.
Nevertheless, all in all, 2011 was not a
bad year for us, as business picked up
during the second half, and we made it
through the year with no operational
losses, with many groups changing their
Egypt-Israel programs to Turkey-Israel
instead.”
Since economic conditions in Europe
have been affecting the company too,
Nazarene Tours, which is based in
Nazareth, has decided to shift more and
more of its work to the Far East. It has
hired the services of Daniel Seah, a local
representative based in Indonesia, whom
the company met when it participated
in ITB Asia in Singapore last October,
and he will be responsible for Singapore,
48
Malaysia, Indonesia and the Philippines. In addition, the company
purchased part ownership of an agency in Hong Kong a while back,
from which it has seen growth these past two years, and it is also in
partnership with an agency in Korea. It also is looking into expanding
business from Korea, Taiwan and China, and in aid of developing its
presence in this latter market it will be taking part in a road show in
China late in March, sponsored by the Israel Ministry of Tourism.
One of its newest developments from this part of the world has been
an agreement signed with GTA to offer land arrangements to GTA
groups, primarily from the Far East, an operation that started in April
2011.
“Our Korea venture started about two years ago too,” Afifi adds. “We
saw the potential from this market, which sent about 40,000 tourists
to Israel last year, nearly all of them Christians, but we also found
out that most of the groups were being operated by Korean students
living in Jerusalem. We’re still learning this market. Recently, we
attended a meeting organized by the Israel Ministry of Tourism, and
its representative in Seoul advised anyone interested in penetrating the
Korean market, to take a local Korean to deal with it. Based on this
advice, we’ve started to look for the right person.”
The U.S. is another market in which Nazarene Tours maintains a
presence and from which it has been handling a growing number
of tourists - Christian pilgrims for the most part - and despite the
vicissitudes of the previous year, it is still very active in Europe. It
hosted an agents fam group from France early in January, followed by
similar groups from Germany and Russia the following months, and
each of these was a five day program based on both Jordan and Israel;
a new round of fam trips is scheduled to get under way late this year.
New Hotel
The Afifi Group, owners of Nazarene Tours, has started construction
of a new hotel on a lot it owns in downtown Nazareth, opposite its
main office and across the road from the Basilica of the Annunciation.
The hotel, unnamed as yet, has been designed as a four-star-level and it
will occupy space in two separate buildings connected by a bridge,
above a four-storey underground parking lot with places for about
400 vehicles. The building behind the main road will feature five
floors with 21 rooms on each, with the remainder of the 160 rooms
in the one fronting Paul VI Street. A rooftop restaurant is also
being planned, and the hotel will feature conference and meeting
rooms too. Plans call for it to be operational by early 2014.

March 2012 No. 338
Studio T
For additional information & reservations:
Address: P.O.B. 4433, Eilat Israel 88144.
Tel: 972-8 6303030. Fax: 972-8-6303040.
E:mail: vistaelt@inter.net.il Website: www.vistaeilat.co.il
“The way things stand now, we most
probably will be managing the hotel
by ourselves,” Ala’a Afifi says. “We
have people with hotel management
experience working for us, and while we
will be marketing the property to groups,
we plan to target FITs too, since many
more individual tourists have started to
frequent Nazareth.”
B2B
In other company news, Nazarene
Tours is launching a new b2b site for
all tourism services in Israel, and it will
be available in English in the very near
future.
50
The Vista Eilat Hotel, recently renovated, is located on the
Northern Eilat seashore, between two Lagoons, close to the
enchanting seaside, the main promenade and all of Eilat’s
entertainment and leisure venues.
The Vista Eilat Hotel offers 84 pleasant rooms. All are fully
air-conditioned and feature mini fridge, safe, hair dryer, cable TV
and electric Kettle.
Hotel facilities include: swimming pool; gymnasium; auditorium;
synagogue; private parking and free wireless Internet
connectivity in the lobby. The hotel features a range of activities
and experiences and authentic meals with touches of home
cooking, as well as personal attention and pampering that never
ends. The attention to every comfort and the warm personal care
ensure a holiday treat in an
intimate atmosphere!
Vista Eilat Hotel
Villa Nazareth
Villa Nazareth, situated in the Nazareth city center a few steps away
from Mary’s Well and located in a property owned by the Greek
Orthodox Church Community Council that had been used previously
as a school, opened a couple of months ago.
“I’m an architect by profession,” hotel owner Shehedah relates, and
if I do say so myself, I’m good at what I have been trained to do, but
I did not feel I wanted to be chained to an office. When I thought of
what has been developing in Nazareth these past five years or so - a
new educated class of young people, which has been instrumental in
supporting a growing nightlife scene in the Mary’s Well area, and also
the sense that this part of the city has the potential to be transformed
into ‘downtown Nazareth’ with a European-style piazza, and to develop
even more, which in turn will draw a growing number of local and
foreign tourists here - I knew that I wanted to take the right building
and transform it into a boutique hotel, even though I realized it
would be a tough challenge. The idea of taking part in the
blossoming of cultural diversity in Nazareth and in helping

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March 2012 No. 338
breathe a sense of life
into it excites me; it is my
vision.”
Shehadeh signed a 15-year lease
on the property and received the
keys on Christmas Day 2010. In early
November the following year, the first
guests checked in.
The Hotel
In designing Villa Nazareth, he focused
on what he terms “a combination of
minimalism and “Oriental” (in the
Middle Eastern sense of the word, “subtle
and with simple lines for the most part,
but rich in materials, while maintaining
and preserving the original structure in
such a way that harmony is maintained
between the it and the renovations).” In
so doing, he has left intact most of the
original doors and windows, as well as
the façade, but the infrastructure and
the configuration of rooms are totally
new, as is the hotel’s landscaping, which
features Mediterranean-style plants, and
the art work, which he is designing by
himself.”
The hotel is a two-story building with
18 guest rooms - eight on the first,
complemented by the lobby and
reception area, and 10 additional rooms,
“somewhat larger than those below,” on
the second. Two ground-floor rooms are
handicap accessible. Wi-Fi is accessible
throughout the property, for guests
to use free of charge, and the building
is accessible to physically challenged
visitors. Meals are served in a separate
space in the compound, across a small
internal patio where a wine and cheese
bar is situated that is also accessible to
52
outside patrons via a side door from the street. “We serve breakfast and
dinner, but there are no menus,” Shehadeh adds, “and people can ask
our chef to prepare what they would like to eat.”
Marketing
Though well aware of the fact that business in Nazareth is seasonal,
Shehadeh has started to market Villa Nazareth in a number of ways.
With an eye to overbookings, he has been developing contacts with
other local hotels - which is how he filled his hotel last November,
with most of the guests being part of small groups - and he has also
started to work with incoming tour operators, Terra Sancta, Shepherds
and others in both East Jerusalem and elsewhere, and he has started
inviting agents and operators to visit the hotel. Nevertheless, the FIT
and families market is one he also plans to cultivate soon. Looking for
business via the Internet, he has designed and launched a website, in
English at first but with plans to expand it to include French, German
and Spanish at a later stage and perhaps Russian as well, and he has
signed a contract with booking.com>-Business has also been coming
via word of mouth referrals.
I’m just starting out,” Shehadah adds,” but I believe in my dream. I’ve
even started to thing about adding an additional floor with 10 more
rooms,” but for now, this will have to wait.”
Al-Mutran Hostel
Al-Mutran, one of the first in a series of hostels that opened in the
Old City of Nazareth in recent years, began operations in July 2008
in a building from the mid 1800s. The property offers two sets of
four rooms, each set with its own central commons room outfitted
with a dining table, computer with free Internet and a refrigerator.
In addition, a separate cottage features two more rooms. “The two
in this section share a shower and WC,” says hotel Manager Emil
Emran, “and this makes them suitable for stays by friends or families,
but all of the other rooms have their own toilets and showers, thanks
to the renovations we have undertaken - showers two years ago and
individual WCs that were completed this past October. We still do
not have TV in the rooms, but we may add them soon. We won’t
increase the price, if we do.”
The hotel also has a lobby outfitted with Ottoman-style furnishings
and Bedouin wall hangings. Breakfasts are served both here and in
the adjacent kitchen, or, weather permitting, on the entrance
patio.

Yad Vashem
Explore the History
of the Shoah
Holocaust History Museum
Museum of Holocaust Art
Exhibitions Pavilion
Outdoor grounds and memorials
Private tours available
by prior reservation
Admission to Yad Vashem is free* thanks to your generous support.
To make a donation, E-mail: friends.yadvashem@yadvashem.org.il or
Tel: +972-2-644-3420
Cafeteria and bookstore on the premises
* Excluding guiding services
Mount of Remembrance, Jerusalem | +972-2-644-3802 | group.visit@yadvashem.org.il
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www.yadvashem.org

International Mary
of Nazareth Center
Update
Though officially inaugurated in March
2011 (see EMTT #329), the Mary of
Nazareth Center closed down soon
afterwards and reopened early in 2012,
“due to technical and infrastructure
problems,” relates Luc Lagabrielle,
who runs the center along with his wife
Marie Christine. The facility, which
was reconfigured as the result of the
excavation of a first-century AD house
and a wall from the ninth century BC
in the courtyard when the center was
being developed, in an area where the
54
Take
a deep
breath...
Inbar Hotel Israel
Tel: 972-8-9973303 Fax: 972-8-9973322
Inbar_hotel@bezeqint.net
www.hotel-inbar.com
The Inbar Hotel, situated at the entrance to the town of Arad,
has 100 modern rooms, including 7 suites.
All rooms have cable TV, a complimentary safety deposit box
and air-conditioning.
The Inbar Hotel has a Dead Sea solt water pool and a sweet
water pool – both indoors and heated – as well as a sauna.
In addition, the "Inbar Mineral Spa" offers a wide choice of Spa treatments,
including Dead Sea Mud, various massages and reflexology.
The hotel is conveniently close to the center of town,
and guests are only a stroll away from the shopping area and mall,
and just a 25 minute drive from the Dead Sea.
Arad, located in the Negev Desert, in the South-East of Israel,
is 600 meters above sea level and blessed with clean air
and an arid and healthy desert climate.
Asthma Treatment in Arad
The Inbar Medical Clinic - IMC, located in the Inbar Hotel, in Arad,
in the middle of a desert area, provides patients with all the facilities necessary
for a successful, enjoyable and pleasant rehabilitation stay.
taking care of you
chapel was to have been located, is situated adjacent to the Basilica of
the Annunciation, and its goal, Lagabrielle says, is “…to speak about
Mary as part of a learning experience, show her relevance to all people,
Christian or not and open a dialogue with them.” Entrance is based
on what the center sees as a donation - with a reduced-rate donation
for organized groups.
The focus of the facility is its four screening rooms, stylized to resemble
caves, with seating for about 50 tourists each. The sections are “From
Creation to Mary’s Childhood,” From the Annunciation to Jesus’
Birth,” “The 30 Years in Nazareth” and “From Good Friday to Easter.”
All the presentations are in audio/visual form and they are screened
in Hebrew, English. Arabic, France, Italian or Spanish, (and with
Russian, German and Portuguese to follow, and then Chinese or
Hindi “hopefully,” Lagabrielle adds), on a 270º wide screen, by about
30 different computerized projectors, as tourists move from one
room to the next. A fifth room is in the planning stages, focusing
on the spread of Christianity all over the world, with plans
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March 2012 No. 338
to inaugurate it in
about one year at the earliest:
“dependent on funding.”
The tour ends with a stop in the
interactive video room equipped
with a series of touch screens playing
20-25-minute videos on a variety of
topics such as “Mary & the Oriental
Churches,” “Mary on the World Map,”
“Mary, a Jewish Woman,” “Mary &
the Koran,” “Mary in Art” and others.
Additional facilities in the center include
two terraces offering 360º panoramic
views of Nazareth and the Basilica of the
Annunciation, a chapel with a Basilica
view, a small amphitheater for groups
to use for prayer and meditation, a
Joseph of Nazareth audio presentation
in a separate room and a computerized
marionette presentation on the Prophets,
narrated by Mary.
“We have started to work on getting
agents and tour operators to include our
site on their itineraries,” Lagabrielle says.
“We have also started to invite them
to see our product, and we have been
hosting journalists too, to receive some
exposure. In addition, we have been in
contact with wholesalers from abroad.
We believe tourists should spend at least
two hours at the center, to see all four
shows and take part in the interactive
video activities, but we have no problem
building shorter programs for agents, to
meet their touring exigencies.”
Golden Crown Old
City Opens
Occupying the top three floors of a new
commercial building near Mary’s Well
and next to the Rimonim Mary’s Well
56
The International Mary of Nazareth Center, Nazareth.
Nazareth, the 99-room Golden Crowne Old City Nazareth opened
for business early in March -“…with a full house, pilgrims from the
Czech Republic,” states hotel owner Basheer Abdulrazek, “and as we
speak now, [in mid February] we are booked 90 percent for April.”
The hotel offers two types of room configurations. Five rooms have
been designed for handicap accessibility; 35 rooms come equipped
with baths; six feature both bath and showers. A top-floor round
dining room seating 120 and featuring an open kitchen and 270º wraparound
windows for views of the city and the surrounding landscape
is also part of the hotel, along with five meeting rooms on the fourth
and sixth floors, each equipped with a variety of audio/visual options
and with a capacity for between 35-40, along with six smaller meeting
rooms. As a hotel catering to the pilgrimage market, the Golden Crown
Old City has outfitted its rooms - an average of about 27 m² in size
- with twin beds. The rooms have also been outfitted with telephone,
32” LCD TV, mini fridge, Internet connectivity (free of charge to
hotel guests). The hotel is managed by Miki Schwarz, who also serves
as general manager of the Golden Crown Nazareth.
Opening the new hotel has given the Golden Crown strategy planners
an opportunity to continue to work on a program to change the mix
at the senior hotel, tilting it in the direction of domestic tourism.
“Our mix there now is about 50/50,” Abdulrazek reveals, “and
we expect the percentage of local guests to continue to grow,
as we shift more incoming traffic to the Golden Crown

TOURIST ARRIVALS AND DAY VISITS BY COUNTRY OF
CITIZENSHIP, JANUARY-DECEMBER 2011
(in thousands) Courtesy of the Israel
Central Bureau of Statistics
Grand
total
2010-2011:
change in
percent
Tourists
Day
visitors
Country of
citizenship
3,124.9 -5 2,820.2 304.7
Asia - total 236.4 2 223.0 13.4
Uzbekistan 3.9 4 3.5 0.4
Indonesia 22.0 24 21.9 0
Georgia 4.3 -4 4.3 0
India 38.7 -4 38.5 0.2
Turkey 13.9 -6 13.5 0.5
Taiwan 4.6 16 4.5 0.2
Japan 13.7 2 13.4 0.3
Jordan 20.7 13 20.3 0.4
Malaysia 3.2 100 2.9 0.3
China 20.6 19 20.1 0.4
Singapore 8.4 -5 8.3 0
Philippines 9.6 -8 9.4 0.2
Korea 31.8 -17 28.0 3.8
Kazakhstan 14.6 20 9.6 5.0
Cyprus 11.0 -4 10.2 0.8
Thailand
Other countries
3.2 7 3.2 0
in USSR
(former)
6.2 -6 5.3 0.8
Other countries 6.0 6 6.0 0
Africa - total 90.8 21 87.9 2.9
South Africa 22.5 5 22.1 0.4
Egypt 2.7 -5 2.4 0.2
Morocco 2.4 -3 2.4 0
Nigeria 45.1 42 45.0 0.1
Other countries 18.1 9 16.0 2.1
Europe - total 1,952.3 -6 1,683.7 268.6
Austria 31.4 1 27.7 3.7
Ukraine 136.7 51 106.8 29.9
Italy 116.4 -26 113.3 3.1
Ireland 9.2 -5 8.9 0.3
Estonia 4.0 -48 3.6 0.4
Nordic countries
76.8
-total
Thereof:
7 74.2 2.5
Denmark 19.5 25 18.9 0.6
Norway 17.0 14 16.0 1.0
Finland 18.6 -6 18.3 0.3
Sweden 21.3 1 20.7 0.6
Bulgaria 8.1 3 7.5 0.6
Belgium 35.3 3 31.8 3.5
Belarus 15.1 -14 11.8 3.3
Germany 176.7 -2 171.0 5.7
TOURIST ARRIVALS AND DAY VISITS BY COUNTRY OF
CITIZENSHIP, JANUARY-DECEMBER 2011
(in thousands) Courtesy of the Israel
Central Bureau of Statistics
Grand
total
2010-2011:
change in
percent
Tourists
Day
visitors
Netherlands 60.4 8 58.7 1.8
Hungary 13.3 -12 11.4 1.9
United Kingdom 176.8 -1 168.0 8.8
Yugoslavia
(former)
Thereof:
14.5 -11 12.8 1.7
Slovenia 2.1 -31 2.0 0.1
Serbia 5.0 6 4.1 0.9
Croatia 5.7 -11 5.1 0.6
Greece 19.5 -22 19.0 0.5
Latvia 5.9 3 5.4 0.5
Lithuania 6.9 -24 5.1 1.8
Moldova 3.8 -17 3.6 0.2
Slovakia 13.3 -20 10.2 3.1
Spain 53.5 -17 51.0 2.5
Poland 95.1 -26 60.4 34.7
Portugal 8.9 -37 8.5 0.5
Czech Republic 18.8 -25 13.0 5.8
France 283.8 -1 269.5 14.3
Romania 39.5 -3 37.8 1.7
Russian
Federation
488.1 -11 353.4 134.7
Switzerland 37.1 13 36.3 0.9
Other countries 3.3 -23 3.1 0.2
America - total 794.5 -5 776.1 18.4
North America
- total
677.2 -5 664.1 13.1
USA 592.2 -5 581.0 11.2
Mexico 19.2 -19 18.7 0.5
Canada 65.9 -9 64.4 1.5
Central America
- total
8.9 -13 8.4 0.5
South America
- total
108.3 2 103.6 4.8
Uruguay 2.7 -3 2.6 0.2
Argentina 22.2 -2 21.6 0.6
Brazil 55.0 8 53.1 1.9
Venezuela 3.1 12 3.1 0
Chile 5.9 -4 5.7 0.2
Colombia 10.8 -8 9.5 1.3
Other countries 8.5 -8 8.0 0.5
Oceania - total 34.2 -7 32.8 1.3
Australia 30.0 -7 28.9 1.1
New Zealand 3.6 -14 3.4 0.2
Other countries 0.6 32 0.6 0
Unclassified
countries
16.9 21 16.7 0.2
57

March 2012 No. 338
Old City.”
“I see this as only the beginning,” he
adds. “This new property is the initial
move in an effort to build a hotel chain.
We’re looking at other opportunities
in Nazareth, and elsewhere in Israel as
well.”
Notre Dame
Hotel Opens
Construction on the four-storey Notre
Dame Nazareth began in the year 2000,
but the Intifada put an end to the project
until it was resurrected a short while
ago, and the hotel finally opened for
business last year. “There were a number
of properties in the same situation back
then,” says hotel Operations Manager
58
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Marwan Lahiam; “in fact, there is another property with about 80
rooms across from us that could be finished easily.”
All 44 rooms in the Notre Dame, located close by the Basilica of the
Annunciation, feature doors with electronic touch cards. There are
single, double and triple rooms, and one set of connecting rooms on
each floor. All the rooms come with a desk and LCD TV. Four on
each floor have been designed for handicap accessibility and come with
showers. The hotel also has two dining rooms and a lobby bar.
The hotel’s major markets are pilgrims from France and Italy, Lahiam
remarks.
Gardenia Nazareth
After having been shut for between 2000 and 2009, the Gardenia
Nazareth, a 6.75-acre hotel standing on 32.5 acres of land and closed
between 2000 and 2009, reopened about one year ago. The hotel,
managed in the past by the defunct Moriah hotel chain, is located
off the Afula-Nazareth Road and a short drive from the center
of Nazareth.

March 2012 No. 338
The 120 rooms in the Gardenia are
divided among the 40-room main
building, 30 garden rooms and another
50 rooms in a separate two-storey wing,
the bottom floor of which features direct
garden access. All the rooms in the hotel
come equipped with twin beds, mini
fridge, convertible sofa desk, TV, mini
safe and hair dryer. Five rooms on the
first floor of the main building have
been designed to afford handicap access.
Other facilities include an entrance-level
lobby/bar and reception area, a 280pax
dining room offering a view of the
Jezreel Valley, halls, meeting rooms, an
Olympic-size outdoor swimming pool
surrounded by a terrace where a snack
bar is located, a gym, dry and wet sauna,
60
massage treatment rooms, tennis courts and a children’s club. “The
hotel was renovated, from A to Z,” reports Operations Manager Sami
Billan, “and rebranded as a totally new property.”
The Gardenia’s two major markets are Orthodox Jews - mostly on
weekends and Jewish holidays - and Christian pilgrims, Billan says,
and to meet the needs of the former, the Gardenia kitchens meet the
stringent dictates of “Glatt kosher” certification. Most of the Christian
guests hail from Eastern Europe, along with Italy, France and Spain.
The Newly Rebranded Tabar Hotel
After being closed for renovations between the end of 2010 and mid
June 2011, the former Grand New Hotel, a 50-year-old property
located in Nazareth’s Al-Mutran neighborhood, reopened as the
Tabar Hotel. The hotel, which has 90 rooms, has also entered into
a five-year agreement with Vatican wholesaler Opera Romana,
granting it first refusal on all the rooms in the hotel. “Opera
Romana tourists have spent about 30,000 bed-nights with us
so far, since the agreement went into effect in May 2001,

Scenes from IMTM
61

March 2012 No. 338
and this represents about 90 percent of
our overall occupancy,” reveals Shadiah
Srour, assistant to the hotel’s CEO. “The
usual Opera Romana Holyland package
includes a three-night stay in Nazareth,
one day of which is on a full-board
basis, and since the groups are staggered
on different days of the week, we serve
three meals a day most of the time.”
“Everything except for the lobby ceiling
has been redone,” Srour explains,
“including the entire entrance area and
the two lobbies, one with a small bar,
our dining room, which can seat up to
600 people at a time, and all the halls
and rooms. The rooms come with small
balconies and most of them sleep two
guests in twin beds, but there are also
62
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Only 15 min.
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30 min. from
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three triples on each of the Tabar’s five floors. Depending on their
location, the rooms offer views of the Mt. of Precipice, the Jezreel
Valley, Mt. Tabor and/or the city of Nazareth. While most of the
improvements have been implemented, plans call for safes and hair
dryers to be installed in the rooms some time later this year.
Latin Patriarchate Investing
in Tourism
“The Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem owns many properties in the Holy
Land, and it decided a couple of years ago to balance its expenditures
with income from commercial enterprises based on some of them,
and not only rely on donations,” explains Ihab Sabbah, head of the
Patriarchate’s Strategic Planning & Investments Department these
past two years, who moved there after having worked in the Nazareth
Municipality where, among other activities, he was in charge of Pope
Benedict XVI’s visit to the city in 2009. As one way of reaching
this goal, a new operation named Incoming Via Holyland

���������������������������������������������������������������������������������

March 2012 No. 338
was set up jointly by
Italian business people
and member of the local Latin
community to develop a number
of properties as tourism ventures,
and also to handle ground operations
in Israel for groups organized by Opera
Romana. One facet of this operation,
based on the agreement between the
Tabar Hotel and Vatican wholesaler
Opera Romana, is Incoming Via
Holyland’s supervision of the Tabar
Hotel to insure quality, based on the
agreement between Opera Romana
and the hotel (see p. 60).
In addition, two Patriarchate
properties are now in the process of
being transformed into hotels. One,
in Nazareth, will be in the building of
the city’s old Frères School. It will be
known as the Knights Palace Nazareth,
and plans call for work to begin early
in April and for it to open within 18
months, or by Christmas 2013 at the
very latest. It will be developed as a threestar
property, but the specifications
will be higher, with upgraded food
and service, Sabbah adds. “About $8
million are being invested in this hotel,
which will also offer a rooftop a la carte
restaurant; about 100 rooms will be set
aside for Opera Romana pilgrims, with
the rest put up for free sale. What is
special about this hotel is that some of
the rooms, with four to six beds in each,
will be set aside for young pilgrims,
based on programs Opera Romana is
developing for this market segment.”
A second hotel planned by the
patriarchate will be the 100-room
Knights Palace located in Bethlehem,
in the Palestinian Authority, and
64
Jerusalem is a third possibility: “… and very soon, even though Opera
Romana has an agreement with East Jerusalem’s Christmas Hotel that
is similar to that between it and the Tabar, and it is negotiating with a
number of others. We will focus on Tiberias and Amman at the next
stage, and since all of this is being carried out in cooperation with
Opera Romana, the patriarchate feels that its investment is all but
guaranteed.”
UPDATE
O.S. Tours & Travel
A family business established in 1981, O.S. Tours Travel, headquartered
in East Jerusalem, has been managed in what its current Managing
Director Shukri Abu Hamdan terms “a more systematic way,” since
he and his brother took over the company after their father had passed
away. “Basically, our father was a rooms broker, but this was a practice
we stopped about 10 years ago, during the Intifada. Now, our business
is about better management, greater efficiency, more better qualified
personnel, a policy to remain diversified and not to place all our eggs
in one basket and to direct greater efforts to marketing and product
development,” he explains.
During a four-day fam trip based in Tel Aviv earlier in the year for 25 of Thomas
Cook-Neckermann Germany’s best-selling outgoing tourism agents,
sponsored by Thomas Cook-Neckermann, its Israel ground handler
Isram Israel and the Tel Aviv Hotel Association, in cooperation with
the Israel Ministry of Tourism.

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March 2012 No. 338
The company has been focusing
strongly on Eastern and Western
Europe these past five or six years, and,
“our Eastern European breakthrough
came in 2006, with the development of
tourism connections in with Poland,”
Abu Hamdan mentions - “more upper
market cultural tourism for the most
part; not pilgrimages, although that is
how we started out in the market, and
we have developed a program to handle
business tourism as well.”
Day tourism is another niche market
in which O.S. had developed, based on
tourists in Egypt on charter flights that
are bussed from Eilat to Jerusalem via
the Dead Sea and spend an overnight in
Jerusalem, as well as on those booking
66
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Yo Y uNeed inT nTe lAviv A v A All You Y Need inT nTe lAv A ivA vAll Yo Y uNeed inT nTe lAv A ivA vAll Yo Y uNeed inT nTe lAv A ivA vAll Yo Y uNeed inT nTe lAv A ivA vAll Yo Y uNeed inT nTe lAv A ivA vAll Yo Y uNeed inT nTe lAv A ivA vAll Yo Y uNeed inT nTe lAv A ivA vAll Yo Y uNeed inT nTe lAv A ivA vAll Yo Y uNeed
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three-night round-trip tours of Israel starting out and finishing in Eilat.
“Unfortunately, as we all know, the events in Egypt and much of the
Arab world just about decimated day tourism most of last year, so we
were fortunate in having other markets on which we could depend.”
The Far East is another area in which O.S. Tours & Travel has grown,
with much of the traffic it handles coming from India and Indonesia.
“Our two representatives in these countries handle most of our business
from the Far East, attending travel fairs and road shows throughout
the region on our behalf, and they are the basis for our current plans
to expand activities to the Philippines and perhaps China as well,” Abu
Hamdan remarks.
Tel Aviv: “Best of Gay Cities”
Tel Aviv took first place as the winner of the gaycity.com “Best of
Gay Cities 2011 Challenge” presented by American Airlines. In
announcing the results, the website wrote: “The gay capital of the
Middle East is exotic and welcoming with a Mediterranean
c’est la vie attitude.” Tel Aviv received 43 percent of the

March 2012 No. 338
votes, followed by
New York (14 percent)
and Toronto (seven percent).
As the site says: “LGBT life in
Tel Aviv is perhaps the most vibrant
in the Middle East. Great beaches
on the beautiful Mediterranean Sea,
restaurants with cuisine ranging from
Middle Eastern to European to Asian
(and everything in between), trendy
clubs, dancing, music, shopping - Tel
Aviv is the center of Israel’s modern
life. People from all over the country
flock to Tel Aviv’s free and easy seaside
atmosphere. Thanks to the democratic
tradition of Israel, the gay community
enjoys political freedom as in no other
Middle-Eastern country.”
“Winning this competition reinforces
the fact that Tel Aviv-Jaffa is a city that
respects all people and allows everyone
to live according to his or her own
principles,” Tel Aviv Mayor Ron Huldai
said. “Ours is a city in which everyone
can be proud of who he or she is.”
Group Meals at
Zaitoona
After operating as a small local eatery for
more than a decade, Zaitoona, located
at Umm El-Fahem on the main Hadera-
Tiberias road, reopened about one year
ago after undergoing renovations and
expansion. More recently the restaurant,
which specializes in Middle Eastern
cuisine, has been courting the groups
market for lunch and dinner. Zaitoona
is open seven days a week.
“With seating both inside and on our
patio, part of which we have closed off,
68
U.S. actor Jason Alexander boarding an El Al flight in New York late
last year for a visit to Israel.
we can accommodate up to about 200 diners at a time” says Abu Wael,
who manages the restaurant and also serves as its chef.
The name Zaitoona comes from the Arabic (and Hebrew) word for
olive, and the restaurant, with ceilings and walls decorated with olive
motifs, also serves as a souvenir shop, particularly for works in copper
and Armenian-style pottery, as well as a manufacturer’s outlet for
Galilee olive products by the family that owns the restaurant - edible
goods, cosmetics and olivewood decorative and functional objects.
“We are also preparing a film on the history of olive oil production in
the Holy Land, and it will be screened in English as well as in Hebrew
and Arabic” Abu Wael adds.
Zaitoona offers agents and operators a choice of menus, based on
price.
Merinado at Ein Gev
After being the only restaurant on Kibbutz Ein Gev’s Sea of Galilee
shores for dozens of years, the kibbutz’s fish restaurant has been joined
on the dock by a (privately owned) kosher meat restaurant working
with both FITs and organized groups, While the fish restaurant is on
the eastern side of the dock, the new facility, named Merinado, is on
the northern side.
Merinado is the second restaurant of this name, both of which
are owned by two Golan Heights beef growers, to be opened on
kibbutz grounds. The first, just off the main round running
around the Sea of Galilee, was inaugurated a few years ago

as a dining facility situated within a food shop and butchery; it is
not kosher. The new Merindo features a regular dining room, a group
dining room and a VIP room for private functions that seats up to
16 guests. “Our new facility has been open less than a year, but we’ve
started to work with agents and tour operators already, such as Patra.
Many of its cruise groups out of Haifa stop off here for lunch on their
way from the Galilee to Jerusalem, and there are also cruise groups out
of Ashdod that lunch here on their trip in the other direction,” says
Yankele Altman, who manages both Merinado branches. “So far, the
mix of locals and foreign tourists at the Ein Gev Promenade has been
75/25 in favor of the locals, but we expect the percentage of foreigners
eating there to increase before long. The mix at our original site is
90/10, also in favor of the locals. We’ve developed a reputation for
quality that Israelis enjoy, and we’re also popular because we sell our
diners bottles of wine - Golan Heights wines, the only type that we
stock - at our store prices, for them to enjoy with their meal.”
New Madatech Science Park
The Noble Energy Science Park, a new science park named in honor
of the company that provided the lead grant for establishing it, opened
at Haifa’s Madatech museum complex this past October, dedicated to
preserving, popularizing and promoting the cultural heritage of science
and fostering a love of science. The one-acre park, developed at a cost
of about $8 million, stands between the original Madatech exhibition
building and its Education building, “…and complements the indoor
scientific experience,” a spokesperson for the center remarks. “With
A view of the new Madatech Center, Haifa.
the opening of this
new center, Madatech
joins a number of world-class
science museums with sophisticated
science parks.”
Using large interactive exhibits,
Madatech aims to render tangible the
scientific principles underlying the
discoveries by a number of scientific
trailblazers from the past, whose
breakthroughs have shaped the course
of science and history. Each of the
park’s thematic courtyards focuses
on the discovery of a noted scientist -
Archimedes, Leonardo da Vinci, Sir Isaac
Newton, Daniel Bernoulli, Galileo and
Pythagoras. It also provides the cultural
contexts in which these scientists lived
and worked.
The park blends natural elements of
trees and water with the exhibits, which
use wind, sun and water to demonstrate
scientific principles.
A 400-seat open-air amphitheater has
been developed in the midst of the park.
It overlooks a compass rose-shaped
fountain with adjustable water and color
features.
Wassat Tourism
Center
A new tourism center opened recently
at Wassat Junction in the northern
Golan Heights. It consists of the Golan
Heights Artists House Gallery, which
exhibits and sells works of local artists,
who can meet with groups when booked
in advance. There is also another gallery/
shop, displaying antiques and works in
wood, along with a chefs’ restaurant
and one serving simpler fare - the latter
69

March 2012 No. 338
The Ma’ale Hachamisha Hotel
invites you to enjoy
an Israeli kibbutz
vacation experience
co-owned by a man who hires himself
out for talks in English on almost every
topic relevant to the region and Israel -
and a foods shop selling local products
for the most part. There’s a wine shop
as well, on the site where the Habazelet
Hagolan Winery will be relocating soon
and where it also plans to open a Visitors
Center. In addition, a weekly Farmers
Market where locally grown organic
produce will be sold, is being planned.
A Basalt Festival and a Totem Festival
- one for sculpture in stone, the other
in wood - have been held at Wassat
already, the former in spring and the
latter this past October. “We’ll be using
the sculptures from the Basalt Festival to
develop a permanent outdoor sculpture
70
The T Ma’ale Hachamisha Hotel is situated
amidst a the breathtaking landscape of the
Jerusalem Je J
Hills and alongside a rustic
kibbutz k ranch and many wineries, and
is i only a 15-minute ride to Jerusalem.
230 2 pampering and spacious rooms, a dining
room overlooking the view, an inviting and
relaxing lounge, fully equipped gym and spa,
indoor and outdoor swimming pools surrounded
by greenery, as well as courteous and personal
service to complete the marvelous experience.
Judean Hills 90835 Israel Tel: 02-5331331 E-mail: hotel5@hotel5.co.il Site: www.maale5.co.il
exhibition and we will use the totems as part of our backdrop,” says
Wassat Tourism Center Manager Almog Ben-Yoseph.
“Love Yacht” on the Sea of Galilee
The “Love Yacht,” a seven-meter-long yacht with a 1.8-meter draught
and a 12-meter mast, has started to offer private Sea of Galilee cruises
of varying lengths and a number of different itineraries around the
lake. The six-seat Beneteau yacht entered the Sea of Galilee this past
September and hosted its first passengers the following month.
“We are the first ‘green’ commercial boat to sail on the lake,” says Love
Yacht entrepreneur Zohar Ben Guigui, who also serves as the company’s
managing director. We are also the only company offering Sea of
Galilee cruises for FITs, couples and small families with children over
the age of 12 - no groups, but people in search of a special enchanting
experience, not mass tourism products. We use non-toxic paints
only and engine time is kept to a minimum, so noise is hardly
a factor, and tourists can enjoy a private and relaxing Sea of
Galilee sailing day. This is part of our vision: to enable

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March 2012 No. 338
Nof Tavor H
our guests more precious quality time
with their loved ones, slow down the
pace of their lives, distance themselves
from the noise all around and give them
the quiet and space to focus on what is
most important.”
Markets & Programs
Ben Guigui has started to market a
variety of yacht cruise packages for
different interests and market segments.
The “Tiberias Waterline” offers sailings
from the Tiberias waterfront jetty. The
“Romantic Sea of Galilee” cruise departs
from the jetty at Kibbutz Nof Ginosar,
on the Sea of Galilee’s western shore,
next to the Yigal Alon Museum of the
Galilee, which houses the “Jesus Boat.
72
The Nof Tavor Hotel is situated among the green
fields of the Jezreel Valley, at the foot of the
Nazareth Hills, in an area abounding with rural
tourism and important Jewish and Christian
sites. Located five minutes by bus from
Nazareth, 15 minutes from Mt. Tabor and 35
minutes from Tiberias and the Sea of Galilee, it
is an excellent point of departure for pilgrimage
tours of Israel’s North.
The hotel offers 120 double occupancy and
family occupancy rooms with magnificent views
of the Jezreel Valley. The hotel also offers fast
wireless Internet connection, a lobby bar, patio
garden and outdoor swimming pool.
The Nof Tavor Hotel is the hotel of choice for a
growing number of guests.
Our quality service, personal attention and
skilled staff ensure a wonderful stay in a unique
environment.
Tel. 972-4-6408000 www.nof-tavor.com
So does the “Sail it Your Way” tailor-made tour, which can also call at
the Capernaum, Tiberias and Ein Gev jetties. Starting this spring, he
intends to offer cruises departing from Capernaum that take passengers
into the Jordan River delta, near Bethsaida.
All Love Yacht tours come with a basic refreshment basket that includes
coffee, tea, cava, fresh and dried fruits, nuts, chocolates and pastry.
Prices are seasonal and are dependent on the length of the tour.
To promote his new venture, Ben Guigui has already launched his own
website in Hebrew and English, and he plans to add German before
very long, with others to follow. He has also started to work with tour
operator Sar-El and with others, and has established connections with
a number of local hotels.
“The Love Yacht is just the first stage of my project,” Ben Guigui
says. “My eventual goal is to develop a Sea of Galilee non-motorized
watersports center.”
Israir Group
“The fact is we operate the youngest fleet of planes of any

Scenes from IMTM
73

March 2012 No. 338
Israeli airline,” remarks Dori Shoshan,
vice president, marketing for the newly
renamed Israir Group, which includes
Israir Airlines and Natour, an outbound
wholesaler marketing organized tours.
“We have four new planes - Airbus 320s
and ATR 72-500 craft, all of which were
introduced into our fleet within the past
13 months - along with one somewhat
older ATR-42, which we keep in case
of emergency, and all the new craft
are state of the art. The new planes are
totally new products based on the finest
in human engineering, giving passengers
a totally new feeling in the air.
In discussing Israir’s successes in 2011
on its routes to and from Eilat, Shoshan
points to a growth of 35,000 passengers
74
Israeli Hospitality
in the Heart of Jerusalem m
Tel.: 02-6702555 Fax: 02-6733155
www.ramatrachel.co.il hotel @krr.co.il
Only minutes away from the
pulsating heart of Jerusalem,
you will find a modern,
luxurious hotel in the middle
of a green oasis of peace and
tranquility.
The views are breathtaking:
Jerus Jerusalem’s New and
Old City City, Bethlehem and
the biblical bibli landscape of
Sh Shepherd’s
Shepherd’s Field, Herodion
and
the Judean Hills.
Th The hotel hote also features a
ko kosher restaurant.
vis-à-vis the number of people it flew on these routes the previous year,
for an annual total of about 400,000.
Israir operates four regularly scheduled weekly Moscow-Tel Aviv
flights, along with three from Rome and three from Berlin - with
plans to operate two more from the latter destination as charter flights.
Between April and October, two weekly flights from Nice will operate,
and one weekly flight from Milan will be available from mid May
through the end of October.
“Obviously, the flights are both for incoming and outgoing tourism,”
Shoshan remarks, “and while the Berlin flights are 25 percent tourists
and those from Rome are 25-35 percent depending on the time of the
year, 75 percent of our passengers between Moscow and Israel, are
foreign tourists.
Marketing
In developing its market from Russia, Israir has started to employ
the services of SRG, which also works with Thai Airlines, as
its GSA, and it has been forging ties with the local Jewish

community, sponsoring many community special events. For other
markets, it relies quite heavily on its Israel-based sales team headed
by Incoming manager Rafaelo Ozinici, who travels each month to
France, Rome and/or Berlin.
A new product it offers, which will run for about one year, from
October 2011 to October 2012, is for Med Cruise passengers from
Sinai that arrive in Eilat by bus each Wednesday morning at 5 am
and travel by bus to the Dead Sea and Jerusalem, returning to Eilat on
Israir flights. Aside from this, the airline also enjoys business generated
via its Internet site, our primary marketing engine. “We receive about
25,000 clicks monthly by potential tourists from as far away as Brazil
and South Korea, though most of them are from Europe and the U.S,
and from Mexico too, which has been a pleasant surprise,” Shoshan
reveals.
New El All Baggage Rules
As of 20 March 2012, El Al Israel Airlines will be limiting the number
of pieces of baggage it allows passengers in all of its classes on all of
its routes, to be checked in free of charge, to one piece weighing no
more than 23 kg. This past November the one-piece regulation with
a 23 kg. maximum was introduced for all economy class passengers
on its routes between Israel and North America. Maximum luggage
allowance for business class passengers will be two pieces weighing no
more than 32 kg. each (instead of three), and three in first class (in
stead of four). Members of El Al’s Matmid frequent flyer program will
still be allowed to check in baggage based on the previous rules. The
size of any piece of luggage will be limited to 277 cm. The rules
governing the transport of animals and sporting equipment
have been changed too.
Passengers checking in early on line
will be eligible for a discount on all
overweight and/or oversized piece of
luggage.
El Al Tel Aviv-Hong Kong
First Class
El Al Airlines has begun operating first
class service on two weekly flights on its
Tel Aviv-Hong Kong route. So far, the
Tel Aviv-Hong Kong route included
only two classes: Economy and business.
First class is operated on flights leaving
Tel Aviv on Saturday evenings and on
flights leaving Hong Kong on Thursdays.
Business and economy service only will
be available on all of El Al’s other flights
connecting the two cities.
Air France
from Nice
Starting in April, Air France will begin
offering direct flights between Nice and
from Tel Aviv to Nice. The new route
is based on three weekly flights - on
Sundays, Wednesdays and Saturdays -
operated on either Airbus A319 or A320
craft configured for 178 seats.
75

March 2012 No. 338
76
EASTERN
MEDITERRANEAN
TOURISM/TRAVEL
Founded by
Amos Kinamon (1925-1994)
Managing Director
Tal Shmueli
Publisher & Editor-in-Chief
Eyal Shmueli
Editor
Dr. Gerry Aronow
(aronow@netvision.net.il)
Jerusalem Correspondent
Amnon Lipzin
Marketing
Yuval Nevo
Graphics
T.A.G Concept
Israel Offices
11 Gush Etzion St.
Givat Shmuel 54030, Israel
Tel: 972-3-5251646
Fax: 972-3-5251605
Website: www.itn.co.il
E-mail: office@itn.co.il
The management is not responsible for the contents
of any advertising appearing in this publication.
WORLDWIDE CIRCULATION
AUSTRALIA 190
AUSTRIA 90
BELGIUM 165
CANADA 830
CYPRUS 70
DENMARK 95
EASTERN EUROPE 220
EGYPT 380
FINLAND 85
FRANCE 970
GERMANY 1160
GREECE 225
HOLLAND 530
ISRAEL 1200
ITALY 360
JAPAN 210
JORDAN 125
NORWAY 85
PORTUGAL 90
S.AFRICA 410
S.AMERICA 380
S.KOREA 80
SPAIN 300
SWEDEN 135
SWITZERLAND 600
TURKEY 310
UNITED KINGDOM 950
UNITED STATES 8700
MISCELLANEOUS 650
TOTAL 19,515
Estimated readership 68,000
More easyjet Flights to Tel Aviv
Low-cost carrier easyjet has reported an increase of 55 percent in the
number of passengers that flew last year on its routes to Israel from
London, Geneva and Basel. It carried more than 225,000 passengers
on these routes in 2011,which met company targets, an easyjet
spokesperson states.
Marking the first anniversary of the start of easyjet’s operations in
Israel, Hugh Aitken, it commercial manager, says that the airline hopes
to grow in this market, and it has decided to increase the number of
weekly flights on its Tel Aviv routes from three to four.
Israel Rated in the Travel &
Tourism Competitiveness
Report 2011
Israel was ranked fourth in the Middle East region in the Travel &
Tourism Competitiveness Report for 2011. As the report states: “Israel
is ranked fourth in the region, dropping 10 places to 46th overall.
Israel benefits from its cultural attributes, including a number of
World Heritage cultural sites. The country’s human resources base is
also well valuated (31st), providing healthy and well-trained people to
work in the T&T sector. Further, its ICT infrastructure is quite well
developed compared with those of other countries in the region….
The decline in rank since the last assessment is in large part attributable
to a weakening in the political environment and a sense that the sector
is no longer being prioritized as strongly as in the past.”
Horseracing & BMX Complex
Under Construction
Situated near the Kaduri Youth Village in northern Israel, the country’s
first Olympic facility for horse racing and BMX cycling competitions is
under construction, enabling Israel to submit bids to host international
competitions in both of these sports. Plans call for the track to be
completed in about two years, with the cost of development estimated
at about NIS 30-40 million.
The Olympic horse racing complex will include both an open and an
indoor facility, and it has been designed to meet the requirements
of both English and Western styles of riding. The roofed complex
will be able to accommodate up to 3300 spectators, with seating
for 1800 at the open-air track. Israel’s BMX facility is to

include a 370-meter track and seating for up to 2000.
In a related development, talks are being held with
at least three cities in a bid to build the first Olympic
ice stadium in central Israel. Negotiations have taken
place in the past few months with the municipalities of
Netanya, Rishon Lezion and Bat Yam.
Duty-free Fashion at
Ben Gurion
Two new fashion and fashion accessories compounds
have opened in the departures area of Ben Gurion
International Airport, combining the four duty-free
fashion shops that operated at the airport until now.
The new compounds, about 200 m² and 330 m²
respectively, are managed by James Richardson, which
already operates duty-free shops at Ben Gurion, and the
“Factory 54” chain of fashion shops. The agreement is
for a six-year period with an option to extend it for an
additional three years.
The two compounds were renovated at a cost of about
NIS 5 million.
The James Richardson company has also been selected to
operate the Ben Gurion duty-free sports shop.
“Paradisio Arava”
Kibbutz Yahel, situated off the main highway to and
from Eilat and about 75 kilometers north of the city,
has signed a partnership agreement to develop a large
commercial complex and tourist rest area designed in the
style of a Moroccan khan, fronted by an 18-meter tower.
In addition to a regional visitors and information center,
“Paradisio Arava,” as it is called, will feature shops,
restaurants, cafes and convenience shops, all centered
around a park with a lake and three “experience islands.”
The first is to showcase an artists and farmers market;
the second is to be set aside for water flora and the third
will serve as a site for children’s games and activities.
Entrance to the park will be free of charge.
Plans call for the project to be operational in the
near future.
77

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