Pastoral Hotel in Kfar Blum
North booked for civil new year
Hotels, guest houses, zimmers in Upper Galilee, Golan Heights report average of 100% occupancy this weekend as many Israelis chose to take vacation on civil new year
Hotels, guest houses and zimmers in Israel's north will welcome the end of the first decade of the third millennium with an average 100% occupancy.
Members of the tourism industry in the Upper Galilee and the Golan Heights who suffered from the economic crisis along with the rest of the industry, have a reason to smile at the end of 2009, as many Israelis have chosen to spend the night of the civil new year in the north.
Meir Levy, chair of the Upper Galilee Tourism Forum and director of the Gonen tourist village is not surprised by the numbers. "The Israeli vacationer views Sylvester (the civil new year) as a holiday vacation like any other," Levy told Ynet.
"If a regular vacation is available last minute, in the case of Sylvester vacations, people booked almost three months in advance. The fact that it falls on the weekend also helped increase occupancy," he continued.
Tourism industry workers in northern Israel said that compared to a vacation abroad, they offer a high standard vacation. "The guest rooms and vacation cabins in the Galilee are mostly high quality, the prices are reasonable, since we reduced them, and the availability and variety of recreational activities are what keep the Israeli in Israel as opposed to sending them to Turkey or Cyprus like in the past," Levy said.
Visitors to northern Israel this weekend will enjoy the winter scenery, the flowing streams leading up to the Jordan River and from there to the Sea of Galilee, the colorful blossoms and a variety of flavors at festive dinners to be prepared by chefs across the region.
