A tourism expert warned the Israeli government on Thursday that, in spite of the impressive vaccine rollout, being insensitive to international travel protocols will ultimately hurt the tourism industry.
At a meeting of the Finance Committee, headed by Shas MK Ya’acov Margi, Yossi Patael, chairman of the Incoming Tour Operators Association said, "There are proposals and plans being made here that cannot actually be enacted in reality."
"The rest of the world is adopting coronavirus travel standards that the Health Ministry has not even begun to examine," he said.
Israel is projected to vaccinate all its citizens by mid-March, all with the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines. All the healthcare funds rushed to roll out the vaccine to as many people as possible, with over two million reported vaccinated on Friday.
All those who get vaccinated will receive a Green Passport, allowing them to travel abroad. A demo of the app for the passport was presented by coronavirus commissioner Prof. Nachman Ash earlier this month.
Incoming Tour Operators Association in Israel is a 60-year-old representative body specializing in incoming tourism, totaling at some 130 companies. One of the main objectives of the group is to negotiate and communicate with various government bodies.
According to the organization, tourism brings Israel NIS 8.8 billion, tourists accounting for about half of tourists that enter the country.
The city of Tiberias, for example, relies on tourism for 90% of its income. Jerusalem's revenue depends 57% on its tourism.
"There are going to be levels of vaccination approval between countries, depending on the vaccination. The Chinese and Russian vaccines will not be as universally accepted and recognized [as safe] by all countries, which will limit and challenge world movement," continued Patael.
"This necessitates Israeli acknowledgement and careful regards of the global standards taking shape. Unfortunately, Israel has not yet joined this accord," he added, "The Israeli government has decided to follow its own standards."