Israeli hotels across Israel will provide sweeping discounts for tourists in an effort to combat repercussions from the coronavirus pandemic, the Tourism Ministry said in a press release on Tuesday. A discount for tourists of up to 15% for hotels will be made available, with exception of those in the Dead Sea and Eilat areas,The initiative comes at the request of Tourism Minister Yoel Razvozov (Yesh Atid), and the Israeli Hotel Association will provide the specific relevant information regarding promotions, discounts and other benefits at each hotel.
“I am pleased to take the first step on the path to lowering vacation costs in Israel, in accordance with the policy recently presented by Prime Minister Naftali Bennett in his talks with me," said Razvozov, "Vacationing in Israel cannot be only for the rich."
This comes at a convenient time, as new chains such as Jacob Hotel have opened across the country. The initiative is also a response to rising costs of vacation prices and severe shortage of workers and entry in the country, largely due to the COVID-19 crisis.
However, it was reported in last month that Israeli hotels have become pricey and that this coming August will see a number of Israel's most well-known hotels to be completely sold-out.
Tel Aviv, in particular, where the majority of tourists are from abroad, is looking in to bring more vacationers, as the city announced earlier this month that it would include discounts on costs.
“Israeli hoteliers are happy to cooperate as much as possible with the Prime Minister's call and the Tourism Ministry's request. We will do everything possible to give the best service for the best price,” said Amir Hayek, President of the Israel Hotel Association.
Zev Stub contributed to this report.