As a way to capitalize on the growing increase of Russian tourism to Israel, Minister of Tourism Stas Misezhnikov met in Moscow Thursday with Russia’s Minister of Transportation, Igor Levitin. The Tourism Minister recommended adding an additional carrier for regularly scheduled direct flights between Tel Aviv and Moscow, removing hitches in scheduling charter flights to various Russian destinations, and increasing the number of charter flights between Eilat and Moscow.
Misezhnikov will report the outcome of the agreement to Transportation Minister Yisrael Katz. The topics will be addressed in a continuing dialog between the Israeli Ministry of Transportation and its Russian counterpart in a joint transportation committee between the two countries.
Misezhnikov, who is in Russia for five days as part of a working visit, expects to meet heads of leading Russian travel agencies and officials to promote tourism between the two countries.
The Tourist Ministry stated in a news release that Russia has brought the second largest influx of tourists to Israel in the last few years. Despite the world economic crisis, Russian tourism to Israel still takes second place after the United States. In April, Russian tourism to Israel has increased by four percent, in comparison with the previous year.
The Ministry of Tourism views Russia as a main generator of Israeli tourism. The Ministry has taken drastic measures to increase tourism from Russia, including the cancelling of Russian citizens obtaining visas, and launching a NIS 25 million (over $6 million) Russian television and newspaper advertising campaign to promote tourism.
In 2006, most of the 70,000 Russian tourists visiting Israel were Jews visiting their relatives. However, the number of Russian tourists visiting Israel in 2007 hit the 200,000 mark. In 2008, 360,000 Russian tourists visited Israel. The Ministry of Tourism notes that most of the tourists were “regulars” who came for historic, religious, cultural, or rest and relaxation purposes. Some of them even made day trips. Russian tourism pumped $280 million into the State’s coffers. In response, the State wants to increase the frequency of flights, the number of tourism operators and tourism packages.
While the number of Russian tourists visiting in 2008 seems impressive, only 18 percent of the two million Russian tourists visiting the Middle East visited Israel. The Ministry of Tourism wants to capitalize on the tourism potential, saying the cancellation in September 2008 of the requirement for Russian tourists to obtain a visa prior to coming to Israel has opened a “great window of opportunity,” and could greatly increase tourism in the years to come.
Not the First Time for Russian Tourism
While most Russian speakers in Jerusalem are immigrants who came during the breakup of the Soviet Union in 1990, it wasn’t always so. One hundred years ago, a large contingency of Russian Orthodox pilgrims would annually visit the Holy Land. By the 1800s, the number of Russian pilgrims reached the thousands, some of them even arriving by foot.
In order to accommodate the Russian pilgrims, the construction of a Russian Compound outside Jerusalem’s Old City walls began in 1860. The Compound included men's and women's hostels, a Russian consulate, a cathedral, a mission, and a hospital.
Russian tourism to Israel changed with the outbreak of the First World War, when the Ottomans ousted all priests from the land, including Russian personnel from the Compound. With the outbreak of Communism, Russian tourism to Israel ceased almost entirely.
When Britain conquered the Ottoman Empire in 1917, the former women’s hostel was converted into Jerusalem’s central prison. Many captured Jewish Underground fighters were incarcerated at the prison during the British Mandate period. Some of them were hanged.
The property fell under the guardianship of the Israeli government in 1952. Israel was willing to hand it over to the USSR in 1990, but the political turmoil in the former Soviet Union precluded the move.
Israel acquired some 90 percent of the Russian compound in 1964, paying the former Soviet Union $3.5 million in a purchase dubbed the Orange Deal because Israel, lacking hard currency at the time, paid Moscow in citrus fruit.
One building, however, was not included in the deal. The Sergei building, church and courtyard were part of the remaining 10 percent that was not included and until the 1967 Six Day War served as the local KGB spy nook.
In October 2008, the Israeli government approved the transfer of property rights of the Sergei Compound in Jerusalem, part of the property known as the Russian Compound.