A mall in the Red Sea coastal city of Eilat announces that it will refund the cost of plane tickets for Israelis who splash out at its stores, in a bid to drum up business as Israel reopens its economy.
Malls were allowed to reopen Thursday after being shuttered in mid-March due to the coronavirus pandemic, though must limit the number of people who can enter at a time and adhere to new social distancing regulations.
In the days since their reopening, malls have seen a 50 percent drop in the number of shoppers, according to Channel 12 news, with many Israelis apparently still wary of visiting them.
To bring back shoppers, the Ice Mall in Eilat says it will refund the plane tickets (Hebrew) of Israelis who spend over NIS 1,000 ($285) at its shops, or at least NIS 990 at the TouchIt electronic goods store.
Eilat is a popular shopping destination for many Israelis, as products sold in the city are exempted from Israel’s 17 percent value-added tax imposed on goods and services.
The city has been one of the hardest by the COVID-19 outbreak.
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Sunday, May 10, 2020
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