A record number of Israeli representatives will be participating in the 16th Moscow International Travel and Tourism (MITT) trade fair this week. Russian tourism wholesalers are showing great interest in expanding their activities with Israel, Tourism Ministry officials said.
MITT, the most important tourism fair in the Russian Federation, will open Wednesday in Moscow. This year, a record 56 Israeli tourism representatives are participating in the tourism fair, including hotels, airlines and tourism associations.
During the four-day MITT fair, representatives of the Tourism Ministry will hold meetings with leading tourism wholesalers and airline representatives. One of their stated objectives is to collaborate on minimizing the impact of the global economic crisis on incoming tourism from Russia.
Tourism Ministry Director General Shaul Tzemach said, "The increase in the number of tourism wholesalers and airlines working with Israel is the key infrastructure in the battle for the Russian tourist."
In September 2008, the Tourism Ministry completed its activities to cancel the visa stipulation for tourists from Russia. This visa waiver resulted in a dramatic increase in the number of Russian tourists visiting Israel in the last quarter of 2008.
"The visa waiver for tourists from Russia removed a bureaucratic obstacle and turned Israel into an accessible, attractive and close destination," Tzemach said. "As a result, and in spite of the global economic crisis, Russian tourism wholesalers continue to show interest in Israel. The Tourism Ministry will allocate 14 million shekel to marketing Israel in Russia and will also work to increase the number of tourism wholesalers and airline companies working with Israel, in order to widen the options for visiting Israel...."
Last year, 356,000 Russian tourists visited Israel, an increase of 84 percent over 2007. This growth has slowed down in the last two months, however, which Tzemach attributes to the worsening economic situation worldwide. According to the Central Bureau of Statistics, 152,000 tourists visited Israel in February 2009, a decrease of 24% over the same period in 2008.
As it heads into the MITT convention, the Ministry of Tourism has been informed that its stand at ITB, the tourism fair held last week in Berlin, won the prestigious Best Exhibit Award for the Far East and Middle East.