by Jim Byers
Last updated: 6:34 PM ET, Thu May 7, 2020
Israel has done quite well battling COVID-19 and is eagery planning their tourism recovery.
In a recent video chat with TravelPulse Canada Editor-in-Chief John Kirk and Frank DeMarinis of TravelBrands to talk about their strategic partnership, Gal Hana, Consul, Director of Tourism for the Israel MInistry of Tourism, said his country has had "very positive results" with the coronavirus.
"We have a domestic focus for now," said the Toronto-based Hana. "Small places will open first, then the others."
Hana said things will be opened in stages to avoid big crowds.
The country's hotel association is working on certifications to show everything's safe, he said.
"Once the borders are open tourists will know they're going to a safe destination."
Hana said Israel is a magical destination.
"Israel is not a trip," he said. "Israel is not a tour. Israel is a journey. Israel is a place you go and you don't know what to expect. It's overwhelming.
"You can go to the city of Jerusalem and the old corridors will shock you. To understand that our ancestors walked in the same corridors you are walking right now. To go to Nazareth, to go to Galilee. Even if you're not a strong believer it's our tradition."
Hana said Israel has sights you won't find anywhere else, including the beaches in Tel Aviv, a large collection of Bauhaus architecture, The Israel Museum in Jerusalem and more.
"We also have the culinary tradition," Hana said. "We raised our culinary profile in the past few hyears because we understood so many tourists were coming to Israel just to eat. They are coming from Europe, Asia and North America to try the Israel flavour, which is a combination of so many faiths, so many cultures that came together as a melting pot. It's something unique you won't find anywhere else."
Israel also offers the Negev Desert, with sustainability and wellness tourism offerings and great hiking and biking, as well as "unique, high-end hotels that are in the middle of nowhere."
"That's the place to go when you're looking for peace and quiet. Especially right now. We have the full bundle."
"We feel the time is right for Canadians to visit this dynamic destination," DeMarinis said. "They're looking for something they've never done before that gives them a higher understanding of the entire globe. And Israel brings that."
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