Ruhama Avraham Balila
Photo: Gil Yochanan
Avraham: Make every tourist our ambassador
Israel's new tourism minister devises long-term plans for industry, vowing to reach goal of 5 million tourists by 2012 by campaigning in Russia, China; also initiates cooperation with Jordanian, Palestinian counterparts to polish region's image
Israel's Tourism Ministry has inaugurated a new minister, and she has big plans. Ruhama Avraham Balila professes to conceive of herself as "responsible for one of the most important growth generating branches in the country's economy," and ranks her new charge as the fourth most important ministry in Israel.
Avraham described her plans to Ynet, confessing there is much work to be done. "On the one hand, we have a goal of 5 million tourists by 2012 – and we will achieve this goal – but on the other hand we lack 18,000 hotel rooms. So how do we prepare?" she asks.
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"We have to do this right, or the tourists may leave here extremely dissatisfied. That's not the objective, at least not in my opinion. The way I see it, everyone who comes to Israel should become our ambassador."
Avraham lamented Israel's bureaucracy, which she says is delaying the construction of hotels. "One of my first meetings was with an owner of the Four Seasons. They bought land in Jerusalem 13 years ago, and all they want to do is build, but they keep getting stuck in court, it's catastrophic," she said, adding that the average time it takes to establish a hotel in Israel is 10-13 years.
And how does the new tourism minister plan to persuade travelers to come to the holy land? One word: Attractions. "I think we haven't taken advantage of all our attractions yet, and the local festivals aren't getting the response we would like. For example the Karmiel dance festival; why not launch a campaign saying, 'You want to see beautiful dancing? Come to Israel'," she offered.
"Tiberias is another untapped resource, it's a fabulous tourism city," Avraham claims. "It also has the ability to attract groups of (Christian) pilgrims."
Campaigning for Russia, China
Avraham added that she would focus on campaigning in China and Russia. "China has huge potential, because it is growing into a global empire," she said. "We need to put ourselves out there as a tourist site. We haven't yet become 'ruined' in the Chinese people's eyes. We are still an enlightened people that receive Nobel prizes despite our small size. We are a curiosity to them."
Regarding Russia Avraham explained, "Russian tourists are interested in combining traveling with medicine. This type of tourism is still in its infancy, and I think we should address it more explicitly."
Avraham has decided to launch her plan by initiating more tourism accords worldwide. "I plan to take advantage of the international community's support to sign more tourism accords," she said. "It helps increase the number of countries that recognize us as a tourist destination." Avraham claims she is looking into canceling the need for visas from various countries, and first on her list is Ukraine.
The tourism minister recently sent a letter to her Jordanian and Palestinian counterparts, both of whom are women, which attempted to invoke a kind of feminine cooperation aimed at building up regional tourism.
"We need to overcome our historical problems, set aside political differences that may remain unsolved for quite a while, and promote the region as a tourist destination," she said.
"The Palestinian minister has already confirmed her cooperation. The Jordanian minister has remained aloof, perhaps because of the Ramadan. I really hope it works out, because it's a wonderful opportunity – it's time to take advantage of our feminine power."
