Israeli tourism down $ 3 billion due to Intifada
Israel, Economics, 7/27/2002

The tourism sector in Israel is witnessing a great recession since the launching of the Palestinian Intifada in September, 2000 against Israel, according to statements made by Israeli officials in this sector.

Arieh Sommer, the official in charge for foreign media in the Israeli ministry of tourism, admitted that tourism revenues for this year will be $ 1.5 billion down from the $ 4.5 billion revenues two years ago. He said that the decrease rate in the number of tourists in the first half of this year reached 42% in comparison with the first six months of 2001.

The central bureau for statistics in Israel said that the decrease rate in Israel is less than 38% in comparison with June 2001, and the number of tourists reached only 62,000. To withstand such a recession, the Israeli tourism promotion department decided to send its agents abroad for promotion.

The director of tourism commission in Eilat Yael Adri said that internal tourism in Israel can not be compensated for. A situation proved by the fact that 50,000 persons working in the field of tourism lost their jobs, and scores of hotels were closed, besides the fact that the feelings of the Israelis of lack of security while traveling inside Israel.

Adri said that Olive Tree hotel in the western part of Jerusalem which previously had an occupation rate of 80% when it was opened in 1999, has now an occupation rate of 7 to 8% despite the fact that its prices were greatly reduced.

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