Israelis choosing local vacations over Turkey
'It's hard to expect people to go somewhere they feel unwanted,' says deputy CEO of Ofir Tours
Tourism agencies in Israel have reported a steep drop in vacation bookings for Turkey, and over recent days the orders have nearly stopped.
"Doubtlessly the Turkish prime minister's recent comments have had an affect on Israeli travelers," said Yehuda Zafrani, deputy CEO of Ofir Tours.
"During the past week we have observed a nearly absolute halt in bookings of vacation packages for Turkey in comparison with the same period last year, and meanwhile a rise in bookings for other locations," Zafrani added.
"Prime Minister Erdogan has succeeded, for the second time this year, in bringing down demand for Turkey, not only with the cancellation of Israel's participation in the air drill, but also with the screening of the Turkish TV program depicting IDF soldiers as murderers of women and children. It's hard to expect people to go somewhere they feel unwanted, to use an understatement."
Meanwhile Tourism Minister Stas Misezhnikov has sent a letter to Histadrut Chairman Ofer Eini in which he expresses support for workers' unions that have decided to boycott Turkey, though he does not explicitly call for a boycott himself.
Many workers' unions have canceled organized vacations to Turkey, replacing them with substitute trips within Israel.
In order to maintain this custom, Misezhnikov is currently working on a bill that would grant employees added benefits if they choose to vacation in Israel.
