Tourism Minister Stas Misezhnikov, signed this morning, Thursday, together with French counterpart, Minister of Tourism Frederick Lefevre (Frederic Lefebvre), a new tourism agreement between the countries next to replace the previous agreement of 1989. At the signing ceremony was also attended by Israeli Ambassador to France, Yossi Gal.
The agreement aims to upgrade the bilateral cooperation, including encouraging their mutual tourism, exchanges of experts, creating anchors French investors pull Israeli hotel industry, exchange of knowledge on professional training and development of quality standards of tourism services.
Later that day, he will meet Minister Misezhnikov with the Roman Catholic Church and Evangelical in France, will hold meetings with leading tourism wholesalers and meet with Jewish community leaders.
France is the third source of tourism in the State of Israel, after the U.S. and Russia. Since the beginning of the year to September rose by 2% in tourism from France to Israel. The average expenditure of a French tourist in Israel is $ 1,172 a visit, with most of the French tourism to Israel is Jewish (78% ) and a Catholic minority (17%).
