How about trying one of the ZILLION holiday rental apts. in EVERY price range? There are also tons of free/inexpensive things to do, and places to eat. The problem is actually the price of airfare from the U.S. Those of you travelling from Europe are much luckier as far as that goes.

There is always a question of who pays full retail quoted price.

Lets face it by far THE HARSHEST Critics of Tourist and Hospitality Services in Israel...are Israelis and us moaning Jews from abroad! That's said theres clearly so much more room for improvement AND progress One vital piece of the Jigsaw is the Tourism Ministry in Israel which needs to collate all this feedback, identify the areas of weakness and weak links as well as indentify areas of opportunity and encourage investment and growth Remember one thing...though we might think 3-4 million visitors a year is good..its nowhere near our potential when seen in the context of say little Hongkong with over 22 million visitors a year!

please notice that I never claimed that Israel was a bargain; I didn't even claim that Israel was worth what it costs. PS: the taxi driver was not being "rude"; he was calculating his actual expenses (remember he PAYS to rent the vehicle, then PAYS for the fuel) versus his actual revenue from your requested short ride - then decided not to take a loss. Do NJ'ian taxi drivers offer to pay out of their own pocket, for the privilege of transporting you? Well, neither will the ones in TA. If you think tourism prices here are so very high, why don't you open a hotel here so you can become an overnight millionaire?

Again as with many other commenters - your complaint is CORRECT..... but it is IRRELEVANT. Airfares are high. If you think the airlines are profiteering, please open one and then in 6-12 months, tell us how it made you a millionaire. Look: I can prove with facts & figures that Karachi is THE MOST economical tourist destination in the world. Why not just go THERE?

Blue Grass picker: Gotcha.As for taxis losing money, ive taken short taxi rides in NY, no complaints from driver. As for becoming a millionaire by opening a hotel in Israel, in my youth I was a controller of a Hotel in Tiberias for 8 yrs or so. Prices were high due to inefficiencies and very high infrastructure costs. Hotels are run more leaner (staffing-wise) these days. Not sure who is making millions, or not. All I know is that the prices are sky-high, and the product is not commensurate. Im headed to Eastern Europe shortly, and will pay a lot less for hotels, on a B/B basis, and their VAT is about 20%. In Israel, we didnt pay VAT. I know: Israel has a high defense cost, etc.,etc. But that doesnt enccourage tourism.And the hotel stock needs to be refreshed.

Most of the complaints about high prices and often -- not at all always -- people who are brusque bordering on rude are true. But so what? Maybe all that is important if the goal is to attract wealthy people who want a luxury-resort type of vacation. I've been to Israel six times and never once was it for a Mexican-resort type of experience. I've come to Israel because I want to be in Israel, period. I've come to see the country, I've come to learn, and the last two times I came to do volunteer work for programs that provided housing and gave me daily conversation with ordinary Israelis. Both times volunteering, I still spent money on food, shopping for groceries and going to modest or moderate-price restaurants every evening. Living on the economy increased the enjoyment and depth of my experience. (BTW, I'm no kid -- I was 61 when my wife and I made the last trip and spent days painting and grouting floor tile. I also am a guy who spent 20-plus years full-time or part time in the U.S. Air Force, and have learned that one can live pretty simply when there's something to do. Who wants to spend time in a hotel room? You might as well stay home.) Unless you want to be unhappy, don't go to Israel expecting five-star Mazatlan. You go to Israel to experience a Jewish state, the Jewish homeland, the historic sites, being in places mentioned in the Tanach, the nicer winter weather than in the northern tie USA and for the liberating experience of being part of the religious majority. If you really care, do some volunteer work so you make a tiny contribution to the country and get to spend days doing something socially useful with Israelis as colleagues, not maids, waiters and store clerks.

Most cities will have supply and demand seasonal variations. In Israel, unlike most places, the high season will be various Jewish holidays like Pesach and Sukos. Did prices include breakfast? An Israeli breakfast is amazing and would cost a fortune if you had to buy it in a room-only hotel. I've stayed in hotels around the USA, UK, France, Italy and Israel. The Israeli hotels were good value for money and really made you 'feel at home' -- with kashrut, shabbat, a built-in minyan....