Israel sees India as one of the potential markets that could boost its inbound tourism efforts in the coming years. The signs of increased Indian tourist interest in visiting Israel is already visible, going by the latest numbers available with Israel’s Ministry of Tourism.

According to the Ministry, around 60,000 travellers from India visited Israel in 2017. This year, so far, around 44,000 tourists have visited the country. “We have set the target of 90,000 tourists for this year,” Hassan Madah, Director, Israel Ministry of Tourism-India and the Philippines, told BusinessLine here.

Tourism promos

“In Asia-Pacific region, India and China are the two countries we are targeting now because of huge potential in these markets. Till July this year, Israel has spent around $3-4 million in India for creating awareness about the country through various mediums,” Madah said.

In India, there are already two visa centres in New Delhi and Kolkata. The third one will soon be coming up in Hyderabad to fasten the visa process to visit the West Asian country.

“The reason for choosing these three cities is that we see numbers coming from there,” said Madah.

Israel Ministry of Tourism has also brought 10 tour operators to meet their Indian counterparts to introduce packages to increase the number of tourists coming to Israel from India.

Israel reduced the visa fee from ₹1,700 to ₹1,100 recently.

“There are two airlines currently operating between India and Israel: El Al and Air India and a third one will be operational by the end of the year,” he said.

Madah added that pilgrimage, leisure and Meetings, Incentives, Conferences and Exhibitions (MICE) are the segments that Israel has to offer to Indians planning a visit to the country. However, in the days to come, Israel will also promote the country as a wedding destination.

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