Israel gears up for 125,000 holiday visitors

Tens of thousands of tourists have been descending on Israel in recent days in advance of the Passover and Easter holidays.

The holiday period, which includes Palm Sunday (April 13), Easter (April 20) and the entire Passover holiday (April 14 – April 21), is expected to draw as many as 125,000 foreign visitors, the Tourism Ministry said in a press release Sunday.

It was estimated that 1.2 million people would use Ben Gurion Airport over the festival season, Channel 2 reported, with large numbers of Israelis making a Passover exodus from the country.

Tourism Minister Uzi Landau called on citizens to take advantage of the Passover holiday and tour the country.

“We are blessed with a country full of historical sites, magnificent natural landscapes and beauty,” he said. “The Passover holiday is a wonderful opportunity to tour the country, to marvel at its features and to fall in love with it all over again.”

According to ministry director Amir Halevi, many hotels in the north have reached full occupancy and national levels have spiked as Israelis are trading the traditional trip abroad for the convenience of their own country’s tourism industry.

Increased visitor traffic is anticipated in Jerusalem, Nazareth, Tiberias, Haifa, Tel Aviv, the Dead Sea area and Eilat, in addition to national parks around the country.

Palm Sunday witnessed the traditional Catholic procession from the Church of Bethphage on the Mount of Olives to Gethsemane, with over 25,000 pilgrims and an additional 35,000 tourists in attendance.

The Tourism Ministry has also prepared for the Holy Fire Ceremony, set to take place at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem’s Old City on April 19.

Israel Government Tourist Offices will be open in Jerusalem, Nazareth, Eilat and Ben Gurion airport, providing information to tourists and holidaymakers on events, festivals, tours, attractions, national parks etc.

Information is also available on the ministry website: www.goisrael.com.