- Jerusalem, popular tourist destination - image RAWinters
Israel is one of three winners in the annual National Geographic Russia Magazine competition, sponsored by the Russian tourism industry. Israel surpassed 22 other countries worldwide.
Israel Second Best Tourist Destination
National Geographic readers in Russia placed Israel in second place in the tourism and sightseeing categories, beating the United States, France, Germany, Switzerland, Brazil, China and more. First place went to Italy and Holland was voted third. According to the competition organisers, success in these categories indicates the attractiveness of certain destinations to the Russian market and predicts future tourism travel from Russia.
National Geographic Readers Vote For Israel
The National Geographic Traveler Awards in Russia is a three stage annual competition. During stage one, travel agents and tour operators in Russia choose the countries from which magazine readers, for the second stage select their favourite destinations. The third and final stage is open for voting to everyone in Russia. This year, over 10,000 National Geographic readers and Russian citizens voted from a list of 48 countries in a range of categories.
Winning countries are guaranteed a series of articles that will reach more than 140,000 monthly readers in Russia. Additional articles are expected to appear in the international edition of National Geographic.
Israel’s Ministry of Tourism Increases Activities and Russian Marketing Budget
Israel’s Ministry of Tourism has increased its activities in Russia over the course of the last three years. In 2010, with over 550,000 tourists and visitors, Israel was the second most favourite tourist destination from Russia, the first choice was the United States.
Israel’s Ministry of Tourism's budget for the Russian market for 2011 is 25 million NIS ($8million) this includes public relations, articles and interviews in industry magazines, daily newspapers, television, internet and radio, as well as various means of advertising and publicity. As of the beginning of 2011 through September, 357,000 visitors have come to Israel from Russia. Russian tourists tend to visit Eilat, the Dead Sea, Jerusalem, Tel Aviv and the various Russian Orthodox sites in Israel.
Israel’s Minister of Tourism – Russian Tourism Increasing
Israel’s Minister of Tourism, Stas Misezhnikov, stated that "The cancellation of the visa requirement for Russian tourists has removed the bureaucratic block and has transformed Israel into a close destination which is both accessible and attractive. Despite the global economic crisis, we have witnessed an increase in tourism over the last year. Russia has turned into the second leader in tourism to Israel and will continue to remain in the centre of the Ministry of Tourism's marketing efforts, while larger budgets are allocated.”
Sources:
- Lydia Weitzman, Foreign Press Adviser to the Ministry of Tourism. 26/10/11
Romy Winters - Romy Winters, a freelance writer, is passionate about writing, the arts, travelling and nature.
