Israel, Arabs cooperate on tourism
Tourism ministers of Israel, Jordan, Egypt and PA to sk U.S. to lift travel warning to region; Palestinian tour guides may be trained in Israel
The tourism ministers of Israel, Egypt, Jordan and the Palestinian Authority announced Wednesday that they will ask the United States to lift the travel warning issued to Americans not to visit the Middle East.
The ministers are also set to ask their respective heads of state to launch campaign encouraging tourism in the region.
The four ministers held a historic meeting Wednesday in the Egyptian resort town of Hurghada, 400 kilometers (approximately 250 miles) south of Cairo. At the end of the meeting all parties announced their intention to work toward promoting integrated tourism between the countries.
The parties did not sign a declaration of understandings due to the insistence of Palestinian Minister Ziad al-Bandak, who demanded to revalidate the Paris Agreement from the 1990s, which contains an obligation to accelerate the development of the Gaza Airport and the Gaza Strip tourism.
In any event, tourism packages to the region are expected to be approved shortly. The packages, 22- and 18-day excursions, offer visits to sites throughout the region.
Approximately two million tourists are expected to visit Israel until the end of the year, an increase of approximately 33 percent compared to 2004. The data presented Wednesday in the tourism ministers' meeting showed that between the months of January and August 2005 approximately 450,000 Israelis and 160,000 tourists entered and departed through Egypt’s Taba terminal.
The ministers emphasized that the joint committee of the Israeli Tourism Ministry and the Palestinian Authority intends to work toward the opening of a swift passage for tourists in the checkpoints and to cooperate with the authority’s delegates in events taking place on both sides of the checkpoints.
Simultaneously, the tourism ministers are working toward encouraging tourists arriving in Israel to also visit Bethlehem, by integrating the city into tourism packages, and by operating unique, joint international events and training of Palestinian tour guides in Israel.
