With many airlines cutting back their schedules, Israel is in the enviable position of having had its capacity increased in recent months.
BMI, buoyed by the success of their Tel Aviv service in 2008, launched a second daily flight in March and now operates a daily morning and evening service.
BMI have also introduced wide-bodied A330 aircraft on the route with fully flat beds with 82in of legroom in business class. The old business-class seats have been transferred to a revamped Premium Economy with 50in of legroom.
Full-fare business-class passengers can now use a chauffeur service, free of charge at both ends and on both legs and a dedicated Premium Economy check-in is available at Heathrow.
El Al has launched a daily service from Luton to Tel Aviv, bringing their daily services to Tel Aviv to three. Conveniently, the Luton flight will connect with an internal ongoing flight from Tel Aviv to Eilat.
And on May 21, Jet 2 began operating a new weekly service from Manchester to Tel Aviv, with plans to make the service twice weekly from October (departing Sundays and Thursdays). Flights lead in at £71 one way, including taxes,
Another growth area is specialist ‘Holyland’ tours, which attract a variety of clients from pilgrims to history fans. Leger Holidays has added its first such tour with departures in October and May.
Leger head of retail sales Ashley Dellow said: “The Highlights of the Holyland tour provides a fantastic opportunity for people to explore the best of Israel and has been designed to showcase the country’s most renowned sites. It will certainly provide customers with a holiday to remember.”
Page and Moy has also included a Holyland tour in its latest brochure after the one that featured in its Christmas 2008 brochure sold out within weeks.
Agency sales manager Joseph Grimley said: “Due to popular demand we included this tour in our Europe and Worldwide 2009 brochure and will again be offering customers the chance to spend Christmas in the Holyland.
“This is a superb tour, which really gets under the skin of Israel and takes in all of the must-see sites, led by one of our expert Page and Moy tour managers.”
The Israeli Government Tourist Office (IGTO) has launched a new brochure, Hidden Gems, highlighting the country’s most inspirational and unexplored experiences. According to IGTO director of tourism Rafi Shalav: “Last year we witnessed an extraordinary period of growth, with UK visitor figures jumping up by nearly 30%.”
On the hotel front, there have been a couple of recent developments. The Colony Hotel Haifa opened in the heart of the German Colony, the restored historic centre of Haifa, in a beautiful 103-year-old building. The boutique hotel offers 40 rooms and suites and is only 300 metres from the Baha’i Gardens, which received UNESCO World Heritage status in 2008.
A funky new boutique-style property, the Mamilla Hotel, will open later this year on King Solomon Street, close to the historic old city.
Safety first
One question that travel agents are constantly asked by clients is “How safe is Israel?”.
Many agents do not have the facts and flounder, often resulting in the loss of a potential customer. But with a little bit of knowledge, agents can reassure potential customers that Israel is a very safe destination.
Perception rather than reality often rules and news footage of the conflict in Gaza does not help as many people believe that this is happening on Israeli soil. Advise clients that Gaza is over 200 miles from tourism hotspots like Eilat and the Dead Sea and over 150 miles from Jerusalem.
Moreover, assure them there has not been a terrorist incident that has injured tourists for several years and Israeli security is probably the tightest and most professionally run in the world. In fact, there are more incidents that result in serious injury or death in destinations like Greece, Thailand and the United States than in Israel.
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Sample product
Longwood Holidays offers 14 nights’ bed-and-breakfast accommodation, including four nights at the Dan Hotel in Jerusalem, three nights at the Kibbutz Ein Gedi and four nights at the Metropolitan in Tel Aviv from £1,485, including flights with BMI from Heathrow to Tel Aviv and transfers. (020 8418 2514, longwoodholidays.co.uk)
Page and Moy offers an eight-day Christmas in the Holyland tour from £1,5129, including half-board accommodation, flights transfers, guides and Christmas lunch in Bethlehem. (0116 217 8041, pageandmoy.com)
