Israelis enjoy another holiday in nature
Hundreds of thousands of Israelis spent the first day of the weeklong Sukkot festival enjoying the sites throughout the country, with the Sea of Galilee and national parks and forests proving popular destinations. The Sharon Plain parks, however were surprisingly devoid of visitors.
Hundreds of thousands of Israelis spent the first day of Sukkot on Monday at tourist destinations throughout the country. Even larger numbers are expected to do so from Tuesday and throughout the festival's intermediate days when the religious public will join the secular in taking vacations.
Some 70,000 visited sites of the Nature and Parks Authority. Guides from the NPA were prepared for a record high of visitors to open areas, with 70 public information stands set up in conjunction with the Ministry of Environmental Protection. Special activities for the holiday were set up in many of the national parks.
The Kineret Authority reported high occupancy on the beaches of the Sea of Galilee. According to the authority, 43,000 persons enjoyed the beaches in the afternoon with the accommodating weather. Starting from Tuesday, the authority will provide guides for free tours on paths around the Sea of Galilee.
The Jewish National Fund forests were also popular destinations, along with the various parks of the north, including the Biria Forest, where crocuses have begun to bloom. The south's parks were also in full tourist swing.
The Sharon Plain, however, despite its preparations for thousands of tourists, was barely visited for unknown reasons. The Kadima Forest Park's picnic tables remained empty, and most of the playgrounds were devoid of children.
The Ilanot Park was in a similar state, with mere dozens visiting and the sukkah that had been set up remained empty. Said one of the few visitors with a smile, "We're already underneath the trees, so we don't need a sukkah."
