Israel
Tourism Booms As Hotels, Tel Aviv Youth Hostels Booked
Ad from 2010 campaign promoting Tel Aviv,
Israel
By
Joel Leyden
Israel News Agency
Jerusalem
---- May 16, 2010 . As Israel's short spring turns into
a hot and fun summer, a record number of tourists are arriving
in Tel Aviv to enjoy the long, sandy beaches, exciting night life
and a magical mystery trip embracing thousands of years of culture
and history.
And to make
sure that even more tourists will get an eyeful of the Holy Land,
Bodden Partners, a New York advertising agency has just launched
a $10 million campaign for the Israel Ministry of Tourism titled:
"There's a Little Bit of Israel in All of Us."
"This
is by far the busiest season we have ever experienced," said
Giora Salama, owner of the Gordon
Inn Youth Hostel in Tel Aviv. "We had over 700,000 tourists
last year just from the US. Even with the global recession affecting
the travel and tourist industries, Israel was only off by nine
percent compared to countries including Italy and Spain that were
estimated to be down as much as by 35 percent."
Salama, who
operates one of the cleanest and cheapest youth hostels in Tel
Aviv, said that almost every room of the 27 rooms and dormitories
that he rents out is booked through September.
"The
Gordon Youth Hostel will always find room for guests as they arrive
from the US, London, Paris, Germany and Canada," says Salama.
And if we are overbooked we will find another hostel or hotel
which is clean, provides cable and WiFi and is only minutes from
the beach."
Meanwhile,
a ten minute walk away is Giora's brother Avi beach restaurant
- La Mer.
The two brothers have hardly any time as they manage their respective
staff, but they do find a few minutes to stretch their eyes and
enjoy a few laughs.
"Jerusalem
was recently named as one of the top ten travel destinations for
the coming year by travel review Website TripAdvisor," says
Avi. "But for every tourist that visits Jerusalem, you will
find two more visiting the beaches of Tel Aviv. Without any doubt
we have one of the longest, cleanest and sexiest beaches in the
Mediterranean. From tourists and businessmen to hi-tech investors
and solders on R&R from nearby countries, we offer it all
in the only democratic Middle East state where you can enjoy wearing
a bikini without getting arrested."
Avi directs
one of the many beautiful, young waitresses at his Tel Aviv beach
restaurant to couple waiting to find seats on the beach.
"In April
Israel welcomed over 317,000 visitors, a 26 percent increase over
April 2009," says Avi.
Giora smiles,
saying that each year the tourists from Europe and North America
get more attractive. Avi responds that this is the result of a
dark bronze tan which kisses each tourist playing volleyball,
swimming, running, surfing or just sipping on a kosher Pina Coloda
on the Tel Aviv beach.
"The
Israel Tourism Ministry has increased it marketing for the coming
months in order to leverage the positive incoming tourism seen
in recent months and to position Israel as an attractive tourist
destination," said Israel Tourism Minister Stas Misezhnikov.
"The Tourism Ministry's target is to exceed over 1.5 million
incoming tourists in the summer of 2010 (from May to September)
as part of a three-year plan in which is geared to attract an
additional million tourists to Israel by 2012."
"The
comeback witnessed in Israel's incoming tourism in recent months
was among the fastest in the Israel economy and contributed to
the country's income and created many new jobs," said Misezhnikov.
Giora walks
back to the Tel Aviv Gordon Youth Hostel and climbs the stairs
to the roof. He sits down on one of the many soft lounge chairs
next to a busy bar, a pool table and several tall, green plants
providing an element of privacy for his Tel Aviv youth hostel
guests.
"We have
it all," says Giora.
"Just
look at that bursting orange sunset. You can rent a bicycle and
tour Tel Aviv, visit the trendy Tel Aviv port for a cup of Expresso,
take in the ancient city of Jaffa. When you come back you are
always greeted with a warm smile. Free coffee and tea. We pick
up many of the tourists who come to visit Israel at Ben-Gurion
Airport and arrange tours for them to see Jerusalem, Bethlehem,
Hafia, Eilat, Masada, Western Wall, Nazareth, the Negev desert,
Sea of Galilee and the Golan Height with excursions to Jordan
and Egypt. But almost all of them wind back here after days of
sightseeing."
"Is there
anything better, more sensual besides sex than eating a fresh
steak or St. Peters fish with chips, enjoying red Golan wine as
you feel the sun and the wind as it gently blows in from the sea?"
The
Israel News Agency,
which is accredited by Israel Government Press Office, was the
first on line news organization in Israel. The INA reaches up
to 60 million readers through Google News and Internet social
networking channels such as Facebook, Twitter and YouTube from
New York, London, Moscow and Paris to Toronto, Los Angeles, China
and India. Leyden is presently launching the United
States News Agency using the INA as a successful working model.