More Filipinos traveling to Israel

MANILA, Philippines — The number of Filipino tourists who visited Israel in 11 months this year has already surpassed the full year 2017 figures due to aggressive marketing initiatives.

Based on data from the Israel Ministry of Tourism (IMOT), more than 27,000 Filipinos visited Israel until November, a 25 percent growth from a year ago.

This exceeds the 23,500 Filipino tourists registered for full year 2017.

“2018 has been outstanding and by far the best year for Israel tourism in the Philippines and worldwide,” IMOT Philippines director Hassan Madah said.

“Philippines has been an important market for us and I am pleased to say that we have witnessed a constant growth over the last two years,” he added.

Madah attributed the growth to continued marketing efforts in the Philippines.

“Our initiatives, including a series of roadshows in Manila and Davao, and continuous talks with Philippine Airlines for the possible direct flight from Manila to Tel Aviv, I am confident that we will achieve the 30,000 level by the end of the year or even surpass it,” Madah said.

IMOT Philippines said President Duterte’s visit to Israel in September has also caused renewed interest among the Filipinos to visit the Holy Land in all travel segments.

It added that Philippine passport holders can enjoy visa-free access to Israel up to 90 days.

Madah earlier described the Philippines as an emerging tourism market for Israel, as the number of Filipino travelers in Israel have been significantly growing in the last two years.

“We wanted to tap new markets, so we decided to conduct roadshows in Manila and Cebu,” Madah said.

Madah attributed the increase in visitors to greater awareness, competition among tour operators, as well as more affordable airfare and tour packages.

The Department of Tourism (DOT) earlier said Israel is among the key markets it will closely monitor this year.

Tourism Undersecretary Benito Bengzon Jr. said the DOT’s focus on Israel is mainly driven by the potential of the Philippines to be competitive in attracting more visitors from the two countries.

“We have to choose where we can be competitive. We cannot be everywhere. And in some cases, the competition is so fierce in other parts of the world that we’ll lose our plans even before we can get started,” Bengzon earlier said.

From January to September, arrivals from Israel grew 19.76 percent to 15,507 from 12,948 in the same period last year.