WINTER IS HEATING UP IN ISRAEL:

THE MINISTRY OF TOURISM HAS LAUNCHED ITS WINTER CAMPAIGN IN AMERICA, ONE OF MANY INTERNATIONAL CAMPAIGNS WORLDWIDE OFFERING TOURISTS AN ATTRACTIVE AND WARM WINTER VACATION IN ISRAEL

MINISTER OF TOURISM, STAS MISEZHNIKOV: "THE STABILITY OF INCOMING TOURISM TO ISRAEL, DESPITE EVENTS IN THE REGION, IS A SIGNIFICANT ACHIEVEMENT CONTRIBUTING TO THE ISRAELI ECONOMY, NATIONAL REVENUES AND EMPLOYMENT;"SINCE THE BEGINNING OF THE YEAR, 12 BILLION NIS IN NATIONAL REVENUE HAVE BEEN REGISTERED FROM TOURISM, A 10% INCREASE COMPARED TO THE SAME PERIOD LAST YEAR

The Ministry of Tourism has increased its marketing efforts worldwide in preparation of the winter season in the United States, Canada and Brazil, investing over 10 million NIS. The winter campaign, totaling 40 million NIS, is aimed at continuing existing marketing efforts while promoting Israel this season as an attractive tourism destination to potential tourists. The annual marketing budget for 2011 is 260 million NIS.

The winter campaign in America includes advertising in print media as well as trade publications, industry magazines, billboard advertising, radio and television advertising campaigns and various internet and social media initiatives. Advertising will focus on attracting tourists from destination countries in America including the United States, Canada and Brazil. Within the framework of the winter campaign, Israel will be presented as a destination offering various forms of activities, leisure and entertainment, as well as the central positioning of Israel as the Holy Land with Jerusalem at its center.

The campaign is aimed at those seeking a vacation with elements of religion, history and culture, highlighting various sites in Israel such as Jerusalem, the Dead Sea, Tel Aviv and Eilat, as well as sites in the Galilee and the Negev. The campaign is also aimed at other various groups including religious and niche tourism such as gourmet wine, spa, extreme sports and more.

Additional marketing efforts include working with the local tourism industries to promote Israel in fairs and seminars, public relations activities, recruiting new tour operators and expanding existing local marketing sources, expanding flight capacities and more.

Minister of Tourism, Stas Misezhnikov: "The Fall-Winter season is the most attractive time of year for tourism to Israel and the Israel Government Tourism Offices abroad are maximizing resources in order to increase demand. The stability of incoming tourism to Israel, despite regional and international economic and political events, is a significant achievement, serving as an important economic anchor for the economy providing sources of income, employment and a positive image for Israel abroad."

Since the beginning of the year and through October, 2.8 million visitors arrived in Israel, 600,000 from the United States, Canada and Brazil (approximately half a million from the United States alone – the largest source country for incoming tourism to Israel). Revenue from incoming tourism (not including domestic or outbound tourism) since the beginning of the year through October, has reached 12 billion NIS – a 10% increase compared to the same period last year (not including flights).

(Courtesy of Israel Ministry of Tourism)

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November 17, 2011

INAUGURATION OF GOSPEL TRAIL

THE MINISTER OF TOURISM AND THE DIRECTOR GENERAL OF THE MINISTRY WILL INAUGURATE THE GOSPEL TRAIL IN THE LOWER GALILEE

The inauguration of the Gospel Trail, Tuesday November 29th, together with the Minister of Tourism Stas Misezhnikov and the Director General of the Ministry Noaz Bar-Nir, with leaders from the Christian community in Israel.

The Gospel Trail offers pilgrims and tourists, individuals and groups, the opportunity to discover the cradle of Christianity by experiencing – both physically and spiritually – the same biblical landscapes and sites of the Galilee where Jesus and his disciples once walked. The Gospel Trail incorporates over 60 kilometers of specially-signposted footpaths and roads which can be traveled on foot, by bicycle, on horseback and/or car, culminating in the spiritual highlight of sailing on the Sea of Galilee.

The modular trail, which the Ministry of Tourism has developed and renovated together with KKL-JNF in a joint investment of NIS 3 million (NIS 2 million from the Ministry of Tourism's budget), follows the paths that Jesus is believed to have taken when he left Nazareth, the home of his childhood, for Capernaum on the northwestern shore of the Sea of Galilee, which became the center of his ministry. Luke 4: 29 -31: “And they led him to the brow of the hill on which their city was built, that they might throw Him down over the cliff. Then passing through the midst of them, he went his way. Then he went down to Capernaum, a city of Galilee…”

(Courtesy of the Foreign Press Adviser to the Ministry of Tourism)

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November 16, 2011

A Unique Archaeological Discovery – a Crusader Inscription in Arabic, found in Tel Aviv, which bears the name of Frederick II, “King of Jerusalem”

Researchers from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem: “This is the only Crusader inscription in the Arabic language ever found in the Middle East”

An Arabic inscription that bears the name of the Holy Roman Emperor, Frederick II, and the date “1229 of the Incarnation of our Lord Jesus the Messiah”, was recently deciphered by Professor Moshe Sharon and Ami Shrager of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. During the deciphering it became evident that this is a rare archaeological find – the only one of its kind.

The 800-years-old inscription was fixed years ago in the wall of a building in Tel Aviv. The original location of the gray marble slab, on which the inscription is engraved, was probably in Jaffa’s city wall.

As Professor Sharon relates, "Frederick II led the Sixth Crusade of 1228-1229 and succeeded, without resorting to arms, in achieving major territorial gains for the Crusader Kingdom. His most important feat was the handing over of Jerusalem to the Crusaders by the Egyptian sultan al-Malik al-Kamil as a result of an armistice agreement the two rulers signed in 1229. Prior to achieving thisagreement, the emperor fortified the castle of Jaffa and left in its walls, as it now appears, two inscriptions, one in Latin and the other in Arabic. The Arabic inscription was drafted by Frederick’s officials, or possibly even the emperor himself, and it is the one which has been now deciphered”.

Although just a small part of the Latin inscription was preserved, it was enough to ascribe it, already at the end of the nineteenth century, to Frederick II. Today, with the aid of the Arabic inscription, it is possible to virtually complete the text of that fragment.

The unique Arabic inscription is almost completely intact. It lists all of the titles of Frederick II, and as already stated, has no counterpart elsewhere. In Sicily, where Frederick’s main royal palace was located, no Arabic inscription of his has been found to this date.. Furthermore, until now this is the only Crusader inscription in the Arabic language ever found in the Middle East.

Frederick II, despite having been excommunicated by Pope Gregory IX, crowned himself king of Jerusalem in the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, and mentioned his being the ‘King of Jerusalem’ in this inscription. He knew Arabic and maintained a close relationship with the Egyptian royal family.

A scientific publication of the inscription is currently being prepared by Professor Sharon and Ami Shrager.

(Courtesy of the GPO and Israel Antiquities Authority)