Almost two million visitors spent the holiday and mid-holiday in nature reserves and national parks throughout the country. The most popular sites were near sources of water, as temperatures remained hot throughout the holiday period.
“Reports show that Israelis are not deterred by the heat when opportunities arise for a family visit to nature, picnicking, bike riding, or hiking,” says Uzi Barzilay, head marketing director of the Israel Nature & National Parks Protection Authority (INNPPA.)
Holiday visitors at the Megiddo National Park (Photo: INNPPA)
In preparation for the heavy heat, the INNPPA organized shaded areas, water supply, short trails for the entire family as well as information and guidance. However, rangers did handle a few dozen cases of dehydration as well as fires caused by some of the visitors’ negligence.
“We are always prepared for visitors needing evacuation, though most of them took care in the heat,” Barzilay said, adding that the damage caused by the fires was kept to a minimum thanks to the quick response of the rangers and firefighters.
Barzilay registered an improvement in visitors refraining from littering, and hopes to see further improvement on this matter during the summer.
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