Phil joins tourism market in Israel
A Philippine delegation headed by Tourism Secretary Bernadette RomuloPuyat participated last week in the International Mediterranean Tourism Market (IMTM) 2019 in Tel-Aviv, Israel as the country steps up its marketing activities in the region.
The IMTM is an annual tourism event that brings together professionals and service providers from the tourism industry and introduces new attractions and tourist destinations.
Puyat also called on Israel Tourism Minister Yariv Levin in Jerusalem and the two ministers discussed the issue of the direct flights of Philippine Airlines to Israel and the signed labor agreement allowing up to 1,000 Filipinos to work in Israeli hotels.
Both countries have taken initiatives to encourage tourism growth for both Filipinos going to Israel and Israelis coming to the Philippines.
“In 2018, we reached an amazing and historic record with over 4.12 million tourists arriving in Israel,” Levin said.
“We have broken incoming tourism records and this achievement is a result of a revolutionary change in marketing strategy, infrastructure development, opening direct routes from new destinations and creating collaborations with some of the largest travel agents in the world. Incoming tourism makes a huge contribution to both Israel’s economy and its image,” he added.
Statistics from the Israel Ministry of Tourism showed a total of 28,600 Filipinos traveled to Israel in 2018, while Philippines achieved a growth of 16.61 percent increase in 2018 over the previous year with 20,343 Israelis visiting the country. Philippine passport holders can enjoy visa free access to Israel up to 90 days.