Money down the drain
Israelis who booked a vacation abroad will not receive their money back if they miss their flight because of the planned public-sector strike. On the other hand, tourists are already cutting their vacations short fearing the general strike
The Israeli tourism industry normally suffers ups-and-downs because of security issues. Last summer it was the Second Lebanon War that hurt the flow of tourists to the country; in other years, it had been the threat of terror attacks.
Now, it seems, the economy is to blame: Hoteliers have started to report an increase in cancellations while tourists who are already in Israel are shortening their vacations in fear of being stranded here because of the planned general strike.
Tourism Minister Yitzhak Aharonovitch approached the chair of the Histadrut labor federation Ofer Eini, asking him to allow Ben-Gurion International Airport to remain open even if a general strike is declared.
According to the minister, the tourism industry in Israel has suffered the consequences of the security situation over the years, and the relentless efforts of the tourism industry to encourage in-coming tourists will be jeopardized if the airport is closed.
Eli Gonen, chairman of the Hotels Association, also addressed Eini asking him not to include the airport in the strike.
"We are in the middle of a summer after a very slow tourism year. The strike will damage the future of the Israeli tourism industry," he said.
