(IsraelNN.com) As part of its overall activities to improve service for tourists visiting the city this summer, the Tel Aviv-Jaffa Municipality has introduced mobile information booths onto the city streets.
Mobile information booths... were introduced in light of an anticipated increase in tourism this year.

The unique, colorful mobile kiosks, designed by Segway, can be found on the streets of Tel Aviv seven days a week from 1-7:00 p.m., particularly in areas of concentrated tourist traffic such as the Tel Aviv Port, the boardwalk and seaside promenade in Jaffa, the Neveh Tzedek neighborhood and Rothschild Boulevard. The stewards on the Segways offer tourists general information, along with details about events and special happenings in the city. They distribute maps, fliers and promotional material to help tourists make the most of their time in the city.

Etty Gargir, Director of the Association for Tourism Tel Aviv-Jaffa, said, "This initiative, the first of its kind in Israel, is part of our overall preparedness for the anticipated increase in tourism generally and for the city's centenary in particular."

Gargir noted that 2007 "was a record year for tourism in Tel Aviv, registering an increase of 23% in the number of tourists visiting the city over the previous year. During 2007, income from tourist overnights in the city exceeded two billion shekels."  The mobile information booths, he explained, were introduced in light of an anticipated increase in tourism this year as well.

In addition to the Segway, tourists can obtain information from the renovated Tourism Information Center on Herbert Samuel Street on Tel Aviv's boardwalk, open seven days a week. The Association also recently launched a new, tourist-friendly website at http://www.visit-tlv.com.

Meanwhile, the city is gearing up for its centenary in 2009, planning a rich and varied program of special events, festivals, happenings and attractions from April through December of next year. These include open-air performances, theater, film and dance festivals, historical and art exhibits, a nostalgic festival saluting old Tel Aviv and the rich Bauhaus heritage that gave the city its UNESCO World Heritage designation as a "White City," and the opening of a new museum charting the city's history.