Entry
Israel Back On The Tourist Map?
Feb 7th, 2008 05:24
Taksh Verdhan, Harish Kohli, http://www.awimaway.com
Israel suffered a slump in tourist numbers between 1999 and 2001.
Those from Britain numbered 200,000 in the former year, 80,000 in the
latter, only two years later. What had happened in the intervening
time? The second intifada had broken out in September 2000, after
peace talks collapsed during that summer. The intifada lasted a
ghastly five years.
TOURISTS ARE BACK
However, despite the war against Hezbollah in the summer of 2006,
Israel is now judged to be relatively stable and tourist numbers are
rising again. From the UK 167,000 visitors travelled to Israel in 2006
and within a year the number is expected to be ten per cent higher.
Guidebook publishers are starting to put Israel back on the map.
http://www.rajasthantour7.com
The revival comes not before time for Israel’s tourist industry, which
was barely scraping by since 2000, but has lately picked up
enormously. The country attracts not only religious devotees but also
plain tourists interested in the multiplicity of things that the
country has to offer.
ABOUT ISRAEL
srael is tiny: nearly 12 Israels would fit into the area of the United
Kingdom. Nevertheless, it boasts no fewer than 54 national and nature
parks, displaying a range of features from Turkish baths to mosaics,
from Roman ruins to mediaeval citadels, from spas to fortresses.
Kursi, for example, on the eastern shore of the Sea of Galilee, is
mentioned in the New Testament as the scene, ‘in the country of the
Gadarenes’, at which Jesus exorcised the devils from the body of a man
and transferred them to a herd of pigs. The pigs then purportedly hot-
footed it down to the water, where they drowned.
JERUSALEM & TEL AVIV
Jerusalem, it goes without saying, is a place for all seasons, for
worshippers and heathens, for historians and shoppers, for
photographers (the light and the yellow stone of the old buildings are
wonderful) and restaurant-goers. Tel Aviv is one of few capital cities
that are situated along a beachfront and also have a 24-hour culture
suited to all ages and tastes.
SECURITY
Security is tight on leaving as well as entering the country. Here is
the text – approximately – of a conversation my partner and I had with
a security officer on our first visit to Israel (my thoughts in
italics):
Security Officer (SO): ‘Sorry to ask you a personal question, but what
is the relationship between you two?’
I: ‘We are partners.’
SO: ‘You live together?’
I: ‘Yes. We work together too.’
SO: ‘You live together and work together. How long have you known each
other?’
I: ‘Two and a half years.’
SO: ‘How long have you been living together?’
I: ‘Two years.’
SO: ‘So, you’ve been living together for two and a half years.’
I: ‘No, we’ve known each other for two and a half years and been
living together for two years.’
Are you trying to catch me out or are you just forgetful?
SO: ‘How often do you have sex?’
No, sorry, I must have imagined that one. It just felt as if we were
being asked that.
SO: ‘Where have you been staying in Israel?’
I: ‘Partly with relatives, partly in youth hostels.’
SO: ‘Ah!! You have relatives here. How are they related to you? What
are their names? Where do they live?’
I told her.
SO: ‘Do you speak Hebrew?’
I: ‘No.’
SO: ‘Have you ever made any attempt to learn Hebrew?’
As though my learning five words of Hebrew would make me less likely
to be carrying a bomb.
I: ‘No.’
SO: ‘Is this your first visit to Israel?’
I: ‘Yes.’
SO: ‘For both of you?’
I: ‘Yes.’
SO: ‘Why have you come to Israel?’
I: ‘Because I have relatives here and we thought it would be
interesting.’
SO: ‘Ah! And you haven’t visited the relatives before?’
Good thinking, kid. I already told you that.
SO: So, you’ve been living in the UK for 34 years. How come you’ve
been allowed to stay in Britain that time?’
None of your business. That’s between me and the British government.
SO: ‘Have you spoken to any Israelis while you’ve been here?’
No, I’ve temporarily turned into a deaf mute.
SO; ‘Were your relatives born in Israel or did any of them make aliyah
[immigrate]?’
I: ‘The ones I’m seeing were all born in Israel.’
SO: ‘So, none of them made aliyah?’
I: ‘No, they were born in Israel.’
As before.
SO: ‘And where do the relatives live?’
I: ‘In Tel Aviv, in Karkur, in Yiron Kibbutz on the Lebanese border
and in Kfar Yehezkel.’
SO: ‘And you don’t speak Hebrew?
I: ‘No, but my pronunciation of names is all right, isn’t it?’
SO: ‘Not bad for a foreigner.’
In the end, I expressed my puzzlement at some of the questions. What
possible indication of my ill intent could they glean from, for
example, the fact that my relatives were born in Israel?
‘I could tell you,’ said the security official, ‘but I’d have to kill
you afterwards.’
Don’t bother. In the end, I later realised, the heat of an Israeli
summer nearly did that.
Apart from the questioning at the airport, Israel was one of the most
beautiful countries I have so far visited and the people were
extremely hospitable. So, welcome back to Israel and as the Israelis
say: ‘Enjoy!’
To find the best holidays to Israel, look for the UK-based operator
AwimAway (020 7430 1766, www.awimaway.com) that offers adventure and
experiential holidays around the world, customised to suit your
desires and your budget.
Harish Kohli
http://www.awimaway.com
