1 World Travel Israel From Tel Aviv to the Dead Sea, opportunities await. Editor's Note: Uri Steinberg is the Israel Tourism Consul to the Midwest Region and is based in Chicago. He visited Metro Detroit on Aug. 17. Below is an e-mail interview conducted with the JN. two roundtrip airline tickets from Chicago to Tel Aviv courtesy of Turkish Airlines. Those interested can visit www.goisrael. com/tivcontest for more information on the contest and how to enter. W Cite the events of interest coming up in Israel. Tel Aviv is celebrating the centennial anniversary of its founding as a modern city. The city has been hosting a yearlong series of events that began in April and is continuing through the end of the year. Some of the upcoming events include ARTLV, the city's international art bien- nial, taking place Sept. 9-Oct. 8 and whose theme this year is exploring Tel Aviv's history through art; a green eco-festival in Yarkon Park on Oct. 7-8; and the open- ing of the new Museum of the History of Tel Aviv-Yafo in Bialik Square. Other great events are coming up in 2010 elsewhere in the country. The fourth annual Eilat Bird Migration Festival will take place March 18 25 offering the opportunity to watch 500 million birds traverse Israel's skies on their spring migration to Europe. In June 2010, the Israel Opera will celebrate its 25th anniversary with a special opera weekend in the Dead Sea. The highlight of this event will be an open-air performance of Verdi's opera Nabucco at the foot of Masada. And there are always other excit- ing festivals going on as well as the many wonderful and unique sites of Israel. hat's the current state of Israel tourism? After a slight downturn in the first half of the year, tourism to Israel is doing extremely well. We were certainly bolstered this year by some very impor- tant events — most importantly, Tel Aviv's centennial celebrations and Pope Bendict XVI's pilgrimage trip in May. Israel also has been featured this year as a top travel destination in some of America's most popular travel magazines, including Travel and Leisure and Conde Nast Traveler. We recently welcomed a new tourism minister, Stas Misezhnikov, and a new director-gen- eral of the Ministry of Tourism, Noaz Bar- Nir. Both men are very committed to the Ministry of Tourism's goal of welcoming 5 million tourists annually to Israel by 2015. Talk about how and in what ways tourism to Israel is rebounding strongly. In 2008, Israel experienced its best year for tourism ever, with 3 million tourists visiting the country. The slight depression in tourist numbers to Israel in the first half of 2009 reflected the overall decrease in international travel throughout the world. Even so, the decrease in numbers of tourists to Israel was less severe than the international average. Starting last month, numbers started to rise again. The most dramatic example of the rebound was in the first week of August, during which Ben-Gurion International Airport experi- enced a nearly 8 percent rise in passenger traffic over the same period last year. I also would point to the new airline routes that are being opened to Israel — includ- ing U.S. Airways' Philadelphia-Tel Aviv route, which was inaugurated this sum- mer — as clear signs that Israel's tourism industry is healthy and growing. Describe the variety of projects around the region. This past year, our office hosted a series of six travel agent seminars throughout the Midwest region to introduce agents to Israel as a travel destination. Dozens of agents, some of whom had never sold Israel before, now are thinking about more 20 September 10 2009 - Tel Aviv at sunset Aerial view of Masada and the Dead Sea actively promoting Israel as a travel desti- nation to their clients. We have also reached out to more Jewish and Christian religious leaders to make them aware of the spiritual importance of visiting Israel and of how affordable and accessible travel to Israel is. Finally, we have been sponsoring since April a photo contest in celebration of Tel Aviv's 100th anniversary. The contest is open until the end of September with a grand prize of What else should prospective travelers know? If you have never visited Israel before, this is a great time to consider a trip there. Airfares are among the lowest we have seen in years. New accommodations are being built — everything from budget to five-star hotels. The food is great, the weather is beautiful and the Israeli people are ready to welcome you to their country. Even if you have visited before, there are always new things to explore, whether it is one of the 200 world-class winer- ies, luxury spas at the Dead Sea or the hundreds of miles of hiking and cycling trails that traverse the country. If you want more information on sites and itineraries, and on travel agents in your area who sell travel to Israel, visit our Web site. We can't wait to see you in Israel! For more information on Israel travel, visit www.goisrael.com.