Say Shalom to Oded

Oded Grofman is heading back to Israel in August. Leaving his post as consul for tourism for the Israel Government Tourist Office (IGTO) in Canada after five years. And while he’s not quite sure what he’s going to be doing yet, the one thing that’s for sure, Grofman told Press Today is that he’ll continue to promote and sell Israel with a passion everywhere he goes. As for his time in Canada, IGTO’s outgoing tourism consul said that he has received nothing but support from the travel trade here and that it has been great doing business with them. Since Grofman’s arrival in 2007, Israel has seen its Canadian visitor numbers grow from 52,000 to 75,000 annually. And in this respect, he pointed out that Israel has some very “loyal customers,” posting a solid repeat visitation factor year after year. “We’ve expanded our channels. We’ve brought in new players. We’ve covered every place in Canada from east to west and we have the agents and operators to support these markets and to support the product,” he said. Under his leadership, IGTO has invested heavily in a range of marketing campaigns that showcase not only Israel’s traditional tourism product strengths — culture and religion — but which also turn the spotlight on things like food, wine, music, the arts, sports and the sophisticated side of the destination. Until August, Grofman will be working with Ami Alon, the new consul for tourism for IGTO-Canada, to ensure a smooth transition. So everyone, say Shalom to Oded and offer a warm welcome to Ami Alon. Seen in the photo, from l to r, are Oded Grofman with Haim Gutin, Israel’s tourism commissioner for North and South America.