Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said “our goal is to reach 10 million tourists a year in Israel in a decade."
Addressing the Second Jerusalem International Tourism Summit in Jerusalem last week, he declared: "We have doubled the number of tourists in the last few years from 1.5 million to 3 million per year and we need to double this number again and continue its growth.Our goal is to reach 10 million tourists a year in a decade."
He added: “The Israeli economy leads the OECD in growth, creation of new jobs, and low unemployment. Israel is in a good economic position to address the challenges ahead. There is great potential in multiplying the number of tourists arriving to Israel, which will generate additional jobs."
Netanyahu stressed that the first step taken by his government was to approve the open sky agreement and to remove the section in the annual budget that was going to raise the VAT. “ We are committed to tourism, and committed to protecting it."
Jerusalem “is an exceptional city,” he said. “A city that blends the past into the future. We want to combine the future with the vibrant past. In order to do so we need basic things – we are currently building 5,000 rooms and hotels in Jerusalem and Israel."
The Second Jerusalem International Tourism Summit of 2013 is initiated by the Prime Minister's Office, the Ministry of Tourism, the Jerusalem Municipality and the Jerusalem Development Authority in cooperation with the Hebrew University and the Jerusalem International Convention Center.
Netanyahu stated that "The Israeli economy leads the OECD in growth, creation of new jobs, and low unemployment. Israel is in a good economic position to address the challenges ahead. There is great potential in multiplying the number of tourists arriving to Israel, which will generate additional jobs."
Netanyahu addressed the tourist industry leaders stating "The least the government can do is not getting in your way. The first step we took upon ourselves is to approve the open sky agreement. We remove the section in the annual budget that was going to raise the VAT. . We are committed to tourism, and committed to protecting it."
Netanyahu added "Jerusalem is an exceptional city, the city of King David and King Solomon, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. They were all here and billions of tourists can relate to that. A city that blends the past into the future. We want to combine the future with the vibrant past. In order to do so we need basic things – we are currently building 5,000 rooms and hotels in Jerusalem and Israel."