THOUSANDS OF ORTHODOX CHRISTIANS FROM AROUND THE WORLD ARE EXPECTED TO PARTICIPATE IN THE HOLY FIRE CEREMONY AT THE CHURCH OF THE HOLY SEPULCHER, JERUSALEM AND FOLLOW THE CEREMONY ON GIANT SCREENS ERECTED IN THE OLD CITY, 4.23.11

Thousands of Orthodox Christians from around the world are expected to participate in the Holy Fire Ceremony which will take place in the Church of the Holy Sepulcher in the Old City of Jerusalem on Saturday, 4.23.11 from 13:00. The annual ceremony, considered to be the most important and significant in the Orthodox Church, fills the alleyways of the Old City to bursting point, as the fire is passed among the faithful. The ceremony will be broadcast live around the world, and on 4 giant screens erected in the Old City near Muristan Square. Hundreds of chairs will be available for the comfort of the faithful.

In the ceremony, according to believers, the fire is kindled in a miraculous fashion inside the tomb in the Church of the Holy Sepulcher and is then passed from one candle to another among the thousands of faithful in the church. At the end of the ceremony, the fire is taken to the Easter celebrations in other countries, including Russia, Japan, Ukraine, Bulgaria and Georgia. The ceremony is part of Easter Holy Week that reconstructs the events of the last week in the life of Jesus and includes Palm Sunday, Maundy Thursday and Good Friday. The day after the Holy Fire ceremony is Easter Sunday.

On Friday, 4.22.11 at 13:00, Tourism Minister Stas Misezhnikov will welcome the heads of the Russian Orthodox Church who will arrive in Israel for the Holy Fire ceremony and will take the fire back with them for Easter celebrations in Moscow. 

The Tourism Ministry expects some 100,000 tourists to arrive in Israel for the Easter and Passover week. In recent weeks, the ministry has carried out inspections of tourism sites, attractions and hotels to ensure their readiness to welcome the hundreds of thousands of tourists and visitors expected to tour the country during the holiday periods.

(Courtesy of Israel Ministry of Tourism)

________________________

April 12, 2011

TOURISM MINISTRY IS READY TO WELCOME THE HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF TOURISTS EXPECTED OVER THE PASSOVER AND EASTER PERIOD.

740,000 TOURISTS ARIVED IN ISRAEL IN THE FIRST QUARTER 2011 – 1% LESS THAN SAME PERIOD 2010

741,000 tourists arrived in Israel during the first quarter 2011, 1% less than the same period last year. About 274,000 tourists arrived in March, 12% less than March 2010 and 37% more than March 2009. The downturn is primarily attributable to the effects of the unrest in Egypt and the Middle East region, with a significant decrease in the numbers of visitors traveling through the land crossings. In addition, the festivals of Passover and Easter, which bring with them an increase in tourism, fell in March last year.

According to the Central Bureau of Statistics, about 640,000 visitors to Israel during the first quarter of 2011 stayed at least one night – 6% more than the same period in 2010. About 100,000 were one-day visitors – 31% less than 2010 and about 50,000 of them came on cruise ships, an increase of 20% on Jan-March 2010. 251,000 tourists arrived in March 2011, 3% less than in March 2010. 12,000 tourists flew directly into Eilat for vacation purposes, an increase of 29% on March 2010.

Tourism Minister Stas Misezhnikov noted that “The Tourism Ministry must contend with the geopolitical consequences in the area which are likely to affect incoming tourism traffic to Israel. In recent weeks, the ministry initiated a series of marketing activities that have succeeded in ensuring continuing demand for tourism to Israel. These activities will continue in the near future and we expect the month of April, with the festivals of Passover and Easter, to continue this trend.

Preparing for Passover: According to Tourism Ministry representatives, who have carried out inspections in recent weeks of tourism sites around the country, the majority of sites, attractions and hotels are ready to welcome the hundreds of thousands of tourists and visitors who are expected to visit over the Passover and Easter period. The Tourism Ministry representatives carried out inspections and checks relating to, among others, the maintenance and operating standards, access for the disabled, signage, opening hours, levels of cleanliness in tourism sites, attractions, hotels and cities expected to receive high levels of tourist traffic over the holiday period such as Jerusalem, Nazareth, Tiberias, Haifa, Tel Aviv, Dead Sea and Eilat. The local authorities were informed of sites which require further improvement for their attention.

The Government Tourist Offices in Jerusalem, Nazareth, Eilat and at Ben Gurion International Airport will be open as normal throughout the holiday, providing information on tourism sites and attractions, events, festivals etc.

(Courtesy of Israel Ministry of Tourism)