A new kind of tourist destination: Wineries, field tours and animal farms
Now there are nearly 3,000 agricultural and rural tourism sites found throughout the country for a new kind of Israel experience.
By JERUSALEM POST STAFFTHE GOLAN Heights Winery in Katzrin, producer of Yarden Cabernet Sauvignon.(photo credit: KFIR HARBI)
Over the last six years, 1,000 new agricultural and rural tourism sites have opened across Israel, according to the Agriculture Ministry.According to the report, more and more people from all over the world are coming to Israel every year and the tourism industry continues to expand.These people come for a variety of reasons. Some come to experience the religious and holy sites and others want to experience the natural wonders, while others come for the food.Now there are nearly 3,000 agricultural and rural tourism sites found throughout the country for a new kind of Israel experience.These new sites allow tourists to go on orchard and winery tours where they can pick fruit and taste local Israeli wine.The upper Galilee and the Golan have more than 180 sites for people to visit, making it the most agriculture tourism friendly area in the country.While visiting these sites, 39% of people like to attend workshops and go to local spas, 24% of people like to visit galleries and souvenir shops and 10% enjoy visiting boutique factories like wineries.This year, the number of tourists at animal farms also increased by about 45%.
