DRKochi: Israel Ministry of Tourism (IMOT) conducted its maiden roadshow in Kochi on Thursday to enhance commercial ties with the Indian travel trade fraternity. The roadshow included interactive B2B sessions, education programmes and workshops to aid trade members in planning itineraries and responding to customer queries.The Israeli delegation was led by Hassan Madah, Director, Israel Ministry of Tourism, India & Philippines along with Judah Samuel, Director – Marketing, Israel Ministry of Tourism, India and included representative partners from the tourism industry of Israel.
Commenting on the roadshow, Madah said, “The tourism industry has seen the emergence of tier-II cities like Kochi contributing significantly to outbound bookings especially for international destinations. Over the years, we have noticed an increased interest in the leisure segment besides the popular pilgrimage travel from the city. This trend is exciting for us and we foresee an increase in experiential travel from Kochi. With our maiden endeavour in this city, we are happy to have successfully introduced the varied tourism offerings of Israel to the travel trade here and help them build new connections”.
In an effort to retain the growth momentum of Indian arrivals to Israel, the team interacted with over 80 key travel and tour operators, MICE providers, up-market leisure operators and media personnel. The event started off with a presentation leading to an interactive session with the IMOT team.
Israel Ministry of Tourism looks to tap into the potential of the Southern market, especially with the Israeli airline Arkia expressing interest to begin operations from South India. Moreover, the maiden roadshow will help build relations with the travel industry of this city to boost travel from Kochi to Israel in the coming years.
He added, “India has always been an important market for us especially with a steady year-on-year improvement in the tourism figures. There has been a growth of 58 per cent with 48,800 Indian arrivals to the country from January to September 2018 vis-à-vis 30,800 Indian visitors during the same period in 2016. Several initiatives have been undertakento ease the visa procedure for Indian citizens. This includes Fast Track visa processing and relaxation of documentation for persons who have travelled to any of the Schengen countries, USA, Canada, Australia or Israel. A further reduction in visa fee to Rs.1,100 will also witness more people choosing Israel as a holiday destination boosting inbound numbers from India”.
Israel offers a plethora of things to do and see to cater to the discerning traveller. From the historical city of Jerusalem to the beach city of Tel Aviv; from the Dead Sea, the lowest point on earth, to the marvellous underwater marine life of Red Sea in Eilat, Israel is truly a dynamic destination.
