Spotlight: Israel strives to bring more Chinese tourists

Israel is increasing its efforts to attract more tourists from China, seeing high potential of growing Chinese visitors.

Release time : 2019-01-28 11:22:08

source : Xinhua

Source: 699pic.com

Israel is increasing its efforts to attract more tourists from China, seeing high potential of growing Chinese visitors.

In 2015, the number of Chinese tourists to Israel was a bit more than 30,000, while in 2017 and 2018, over 100,000 tourists from China visited Israel.

One of the key reasons for the increase of Chinese tourists to Israel is the introduction of direct flights between the two countries.

There are currently direct flights from Shanghai, Beijing, Guangzhou, Chengdu, and Hong Kong to Tel Aviv, with more direct flights expected to be launched in 2019.

Israel has also opened visa centers in Beijing, Shanghai, and Guangzhou, and one more to be opened in Chengdu. The centers would promote and expand Chinese tourism to Israel.

In addition, the Israeli Ministry of Tourism opened in Guangzhou its second representative office in China, while the first office has been operating in Beijing.

The ministry stated that according to the United Nation World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), Chinese tourists are by far the top spenders.

Inside Israel, the ministry has taken steps to make the Chinese tourists feel more convenient, such as bringing Chinese celebrity chefs to give cooking courses.

Moreover, Israel has increased the number of Chinese-speaking tour guides, launched a Chinese-language website, and provided signage, maps, and other materials in Chinese, at major tourist sites.

Besides, many Israeli guides have traveled to China, only for the propose of learning the language and culture of their Chinese potential clients.

Furthermore, Israel will soon launch WeChat and Alipay to facilitate the payment with digital access for the Chinese tourists.

Multiple entry visas for up to 10 years are now available for Chinese visitors, instead of the previous three-month visas.

The procedures are part of the friendly measures Israel has taken to remove significant obstacles that slow down growth of incoming tourism from China.

"Israeli