Tourism Minister Stas Misezhnikov: “The high level of interest displayed by Israelis shows that there is a change in the understanding of the importance of the tourism industry as an engine for economic growth and a tool to promote the country’s image. The thousands of tourists who will come to Israel as a result of the campaign will generate income, create jobs and become ambassadors for tourism to Israel.”
The “Invite a Friend” campaign launched by the Tourism Ministry has generated an impressive level of participation. To date, the website has registered over 162, 670 entries, with 10,500 people actively participating in the campaign by sending postcards and inviting friends and family to vacation in Israel.
110, 046 postcards have been sent around the world, with another 12,033 sent within Israel. The destination countries include USA (23,580); Russia (14,729); China (8,025); Germany (6,268); Ukraine (4,658), England (4,361) and France (4,121), as well as hundreds sent to Finland, the Philippines, Luxembourg, Norway, Denmark, Colombia, Kazakhstan, Australia and more.
The 6 week, NIS 6 million campaign, in cooperation with Keshet Broadcasting and the Mako website, went live at the end of October, with a short hiatus during the recent Operation Pillar of Defense, and is expected to continue for another 2 weeks. The Tourism Ministry expects Israelis to take advantage of the opportunity to help promote incoming tourism, out of an understanding of the importance to the economy. For every 36 tourists, one new job is created and NIS 225,000 injected into the economy. From Jan-Oct 2012, more than 3 million tourists have arrived in Israel, 8% more than the same period last year.
