Israel Posts Strong Growth From Canada
Officials of the Israel Ministry of Tourism (IMOT) here in Canada are in an upbeat mood these days as the latest arrival numbers reveal that Canadians are continuing to travel to Israel in increasing numbers.
In July of 2018, Israel welcomed 8,600 Canadians, which is a rise of 4% compared to the same month in 2017.
The IMOT’s director for Canada, Jerry Adler observed: “Here in Canada, the growth in interest, resulting demand and tourist traffic to Israel has spiralled upwards year after year breaking all statistical recorded month to month over the past 10 years.”
Adler pointed out that: “Canadians are realizing that Israel is a safe modern world-class destination and Israel offers the value proposition for Canadian traveller dollars spent on both airfare and land portion. The FIT leisure market continues to grow, with Canadian tourists seeking out new experiential niches including culture and events, design & lifestyle, adventure, culinary and wine, health and wellness, sports and athletic competitions, history and faith opportunities and many others. The traditional ‘bread and butter’ niche of group travel for Christian and Jewish pilgrimage continues to grow steadily too.”
In a message to the trade, Adler said: “We applaud and thank our travel partners here in Canada — including airlines, tour operators, retail agencies, home-based agents and other sales channels for being solid stakeholders in our collective success — When you succeed we all succeed!”
Adler noted as well that: “As the Canadian representatives of Israel Ministry of Tourism in Canada, Ellen Melman and I continue to forge forward to recruit new partners to learn more about the dynamic destination and become confident Israel Specialists as promoters to build demand for their respective Israel programs.”
Globally, Israel is also posting strong gains, with the Jan. to July 2018 results showing the country recorded 2.4 million tourist entries – an increase of 17.3% over the same period in 2017 (about 2 million) and 46% more than in 2016.
The country’s tourism minister, Yariv Levin said: “Month after month we are witnessing new achievements and record highs in incoming tourism. I am pleased that, in the last month, we have also seen an impressive rise in incoming tourism. The marketing efforts and innovative activities that we are implementing, together with the incentives for airlines and investments in infrastructure, are all proving themselves anew each month, as the tourism industry continues to be a significant factor in making exceptional impact and contributions to the Israeli economy and workforce.”
