Israel
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Thursday, March 31st, 2011
PM Netanyahu: We need more tourists than people who live here.
This week I am attending the first International Tourism Conference being held in Jerusalem’s Binyanei HaUmah Convention Center. Focusing both on the changing opportunities and challenges in the global tourism industry, as well as on the unique attractions of Israel (and Jerusalem in particular) as a tourist destination, the conference has drawn hundreds of participants from around the world.
With panels on topics such as “The Role of Media in Generating Tourism,” “The Impact of Technology on the Tourism Industry,” and “Branding Cities,” the conference features politicians such as Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, Minister of Tourism Stas Misezhnikov and Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat alongside media personality Chris Matthews (“Hardball with Chris Matthews”), MTV International founder Bill Roedy and museum directors from around the world.
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Posted in Israeli Tourism | 5 Responses »
Tags: Bill Roedy, business, Chris Matthews, International Tourism Conference, Israel, Jerusalem, Mayumana, Misezhnikov, Netanyahu, Nir Bakat, tourism
Saturday, February 13th, 2010
Brazilian capoeira and samba at IMTM to promote travel there.
Ever been to a trade show of any kind? Auto show, food industry convention, hotel and hospitality conference or energy industry gathering? Well, the International Mediterranean Tourism Market (IMTM) is a fairly standard example of this type of event.
I say this only because I wasn’t sure exactly what to expect before I attended it last Wednesday. I mean, I knew it would be a trade show, but I’d never been to one in Israel before. Plus, with a name like that, I wasn’t sure how much would be related to Israel travel in particular and how much would be geared towards tourism to other countries in the region. I also had no idea how relevant it would be for me, as a specifically Israeli tourguide-to-be.
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Posted in Israeli Tourism | 1 Response »
Tags: business, food, guide, IMTM, Israel, olive oil, tourism, wine
Wednesday, February 10th, 2010
A tour group at the theater in Caesarea, Mediterranean in the background.
Finding a bit more time now, so hope to post some tour updates and more news stories soon. But just a quick summary for now. Tours that I’ve taken but not yet written about: Ein Gedi, southern Dead Sea area (Mt. Sodom), Modiin vicinity (Tel Gezer and stuff related to the Maccabees) and Sharon/southern Carmel region (Apollonia, Dor and Atlit).
And some of the class subjects I may want to discuss here: Geography and Geology of Israel (and how they relate to each other) and fauna. But first…
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Posted in Israeli Tourism, Miscellaneous, Tour Guide Course | No Responses »
Tags: business, culinary tourism, IMTM, Israel, Market, Ministry of Tourism, Tel Aviv, tourism, wine
Monday, January 25th, 2010
Handshake photo taken from Wikimedia Commons. (In public domain.)
I don’t know about you, but I shake hands with people all the time, and I barely even think about it. Sure, I’ve heard the potential origins of the handshake as a sign of peace, indicating that neither person is holding a weapon. But in our society, shaking hands is as common as, well… a handshake. Most of us clasp hands with others multiple times on a daily basis.
But last week, a handshake that may or may not have taken place highlighted just how delicate and sensitive life can be in the Middle East. And a few days later, I received a comment on a blog post that I’d written entirely innocently, that drove this point home on a more personal level.
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Posted in Israeli Tourism | No Responses »
Tags: diplomacy, history, Iran, Israel, Ministry of Tourism, Misezhnikov, Palestine, politics
Saturday, January 23rd, 2010
A piece of Edomite glass (C 2100 years old) that I found on a dig in Beit Guvrin.
Last week’s and this week’s classes have both dealt with general overviews to the land of Israel, dealing with such things as roads, borders, broad history, and the like. I’ll break down some of the other information in a future post, but I thought it might be helpful for me to give you a brief history of the different periods of history that we encounter here. This way, if I later refer to something as taking place in a certain period, I can refer you back to this brief overview!
Some of these are broad eras that apply to all of civilization, and others are specific to this location. The latter is the case the more modern we get. Also, in some cases, the period may start at different times in different parts of the world. (For example, Muslim period begins at different times in different parts of this area, depending on when the Muslims conquered various lands.)
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Posted in Primers, Tour Guide Course | 5 Responses »
Tags: Assyrians, Babylonians, Bar Kochba, British Mandate, Byzantines, Canaanite, Greeks, Hasmoneans, history, Holy Temple, Israel, Jerusalem, kings, Mamluks, Muslims, Ottomans, Persians, Romans
Tuesday, January 12th, 2010
(Taken and modified from the Tour d'Israel website)
Israel’s tourism industry traditionally revolves around a lot of things: archaeology, history, religion, etc. Straightforward resort tourism (beaches, etc.), outdoor/hiking trips and luxury spa vacations have also been mainstays of the industry for quite some time.
More recently, there has been growth in areas such as culinary and/or wine tourism. Adventure travel (taking the outdoorsy to the next level) has also seen a bit of advancement.
But how about straightforward sports tourism? Well, a few recent ventures indicates this may be part of the future mosaic of the Israeli tourism business.
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Posted in Israeli Tourism | 1 Response »
Tags: cycling, golf, Israel, Ministry of Tourism, Misezhnikov, sports
Monday, December 7th, 2009
Wild thistle in Ein Hod
Though the start of my course was delayed a few weeks, we are supposed to have our first orientation/classes this Friday, December 11. One of the things people always bring up is how this can be a difficult profession, due to its operating largely at the whims of the tourism industry. And that industry naturally has its ups and downs.
Still, I try to remain hopeful, and look out for positive signs.
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Posted in Israeli Tourism | No Responses »
Tags: business, Israel, Ministry, Misezhnikov
Thursday, December 3rd, 2009
The Kotel / Western Wall at Birkat HaChama - the once-in-28-year commemoration of Creation
I’m glad you asked! Or, if you didn’t, then allow me to put a few choice words into your mouth — in particular the above words.
Although a bit of this information is already covered on the About page, I wanted to give a bit of an intro here, explaining why I am writing this blog now. And also perhaps tell you a bit about what you can expect to see in these “pages” in the future.
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Posted in Tour Guide Course | No Responses »
Tags: guide, Israel, tourism
