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More than 200 members of the UK hospitality industry have gathered at the Tower of London for an event organised by the Israel Tourist Board.
The Regal Roadshow offered agents, operators and hoteliers a chance to network in the opulent surroundings of the famous landmark.
Top of the bill was the Two Sunny Cities. One Break. campaign, which the tourist board is redeploying to showcase Tel Aviv and Jerusalem this year.
The event comes at an exciting time for the destination.
In total, over 4.1 million tourist entries were recorded in Israel in 2018, an increase of 14 per cent compared to the previous year.
Revenue from tourism in 2018 reached about $5.8 billion.
Virgin Atlantic will also launch a new connection from London Gatwick to Tel Aviv in September, making it easier for British travellers to reach the Middle Eastern destination.
Speaking at the event in London, Michelle Roberts, business development manager for the Israel Government Tourist Office, said: “The big news this year is the arrival of Virgin Atlantic.
“It is going to be great for Israel – the timing of the flights makes it easy for American guests to transit through London.”
El Al will also launch a three-times weekly service from Manchester on May 26th.
Roberts added: “This is such brilliant news for Israel – a quality airline, connecting to Manchester is big news for us.”
In Israel, the Eilat Ramon Airport is new open, with international flights expected to start soon.
The facility is aimed squarely at the leisure market, focused on the beach resorts in the south of the country.
Finally, following the victory of Netta Barzilai last year, Israel will host the Eurovision Song Contest next month.
The 64th staging of the contest will take place at the Expo Tel Aviv (International Convention Centre) on Saturday, May 18th.
Roberts concluded: “There is not a doubt in my mind that this is going to be a great time to visit Israel – they are going to showcase the destination to the hilt during the event.
“It is going to be fun, it is going to be sexy and it is really going to generate interest – which is great for the trade as people are going to want to visit Israel.”
Source: breakingtravelnews.com
