Haifa
HaifaIsrael news photo: Flash 90

In June, 37 passenger and cruise ships are expected to anchor in Ashdod and Haifa, bringing with them an estimated 50,000 tourists and crew.

The number of cruise ships arriving in Israel in recent years has increased significantly and this trend is expected to increase.

The ships dock in Ashdod, Haifa and Eilat for an average of three days. The passengers and crew members spend, on average, $150 a day. In 2010, 169,200 cruise visitors arrived in Israel – 2.5 times more than in 2009. 68,000 cruise visitors have arrived in Israel in the period January – April 2011, 37% more than the same period last year.

Population, Immigration and Border Authority Director-General Amnon Ben-Ami: “There is no doubt that the transfer of border inspections to the authority improves our ability to deal with the many tourists arriving in Israel. We are ready to provide fast quality service to every tourist who arrives at our stands, be it at the land, air or sea crossings.”

Tourism Ministry Director-General Noaz Bar-Nir thanked the Population Authority for its excellent and fast inspections at the border crossings and for cruise tourists, noting that, "The decision taken by cruise operators to dock in Israel is an expression of confidence in the safety and attractiveness of Israeli tourism. Nonetheless, if one wants to maintain and even grow this tourism which exposes visitors to the tourism sites and improves Israel’s image overseas, the high docking fees should be reduced.”

In the coming days, Bar-Nir will contact the Director-Generals of the Finance and Transport Ministries in order to review canceling the recent increase of hundreds of percent in the docking fee and returning to the previous tariffs that are similar to those levied in ports in Europe and other Middle East countries.