A senior Ministry of Finance official has flatly refused to allocate a budget for an ad campaign for domestic tourism because she claims hotels in Eilat are full.
During a discussion of the Knesset State Control Committee, Ministry of Tourism director general Amir Halevi requested a budget to promote domestic tourism. But Ministry of Finance budget division representative Raya Adni told Halevi that the Ministry of Tourism had already received NIS 2 million to promote domestic tourism and there was no need for more money because, “You can’t get a room in Eilat.”
She pointed out that 4.5 million Israelis had a vacation abroad in 2019 and added, “The skies are closed, so there is no need for an Israeli tourism campaign. People are only looking for where there is accommodation.”
Halevi responded that the situation in Eilat was not reflected in hotels in cities in other parts of Israel, and that even in the Red Sea resort 30% of the hotels had not yet reopened, while occupancy in hotels in Jerusalem, Tel Aviv and Nazereth was marginal, and therefore a promotion campaign was critically important.
“The Ministry of Finance is cut off and fails to understand the situation and we will pay a heavy price,” Halevi said.
Published by Globes, Israel business news – en.globes.co.il – on August 6, 2020 © Copyright of Globes Publisher Itonut (1983) Ltd. 2020