Agents on the Spot: Israel

Twenty-five agents were treated to a sightseeing educational trip to Israel, courtesy of Longwood Holidays. The agents flew out to Tel Aviv and then drove through Jerusalem, on to the Dead Sea and then to Eilat. Five nights were spent in Eilat visiting the hotels and sampling some of the most popular local excursions. We asked three agents to give their impressions before and after the trip.

Before: I had never been to Israel before and to be honest it wasn’t really a place that I had ever though of going to. I imagined it to be a very barren, desert-like place with one or two hotels in the middle of nowhere. I had never really sold any Israel holidays. It just didn’t come into my mind and I wasn’t exactly sure who wanted to go there. Obviously you hear of trouble spots on the television, but I wasn’t worried as Longwood was very reassuring. However, having not been there myself it was hard to be reassuring about such issues to worried clients.

After: Israel was nothing like I imagined. There were some incredible contrasts – the ancient streets of Jerusalem, the desert, and the more built-up resort of Eilat. The hotels were fantastic, really luxurious and I’d recommend them to anyone. The highlights for me were a desert safari, when we went over some really steep mountains by jeep, and then swimming in the Dead Sea, where it was easier to float than to stand up. There are some cultural differences but none that really affect a holiday and I have already booked several passengers there, including a honeymoon couple. Eilat is like a mini Lanzarote or Tenerife – good hotels and facilities but not too built up. I’d certainly pay to go back myself.

Before: We were selling quite a large number of holidays to Israel – around 50 a month – but these were mostly sold by my colleague who had already been on an educational to Israel. I had never been to the country and was a little apprehensive. There was a lot of publicity about the problems with Iraq just prior to our trip and that did make me a bit more nervous. I imagined the towns in Israel would all be very old and that the emphasis would be on the cultural and the historic.

After: The thing that surprised me most was just how modern Eilat is, how many facilities there are and how much there is to see and do. The hotels are excellent and the resort is ideal for winter beach holidays. The range of excursions is excellent, from jeep safaris to day trips to Petra in Jordan. Once you have been to Eilat you realise it is an extremely safe, easy-going place with a lot to offer. I would certainly pay to go back there myself for a good quality, winter sun beach holiday.

Before: I had never been on an educational before and had never been to Israel, so it was all new to me. I didn’t think Israel would really have a very developed tourism infrastructure but I wasn’t really too sure what to expect. We do occasionally sell holidays to Israel but it wasn’t a destination which instantly came to mind. We tended to only sell the destination if a client specifically asked for it.

After: Eilat was much more developed than I had imagined. It’s a big resort with lots going on. The highlight for me was swimming with the dolphins. I paid about £40 and the swim really was a once-in-a-lifetime experience. Numbers were limited and it was very well organised. The jeep safari was excellent too – the desert was all rock, not sand as I had expected, and the views were fantastic. I don’t think you could go to Israel without a visit to Jerusalem – it’s culturally very interesting but I wouldn’t recommend more than a couple of days there. I’m recommending Israel all the time now as an alternative to the Canaries and, having heard all about my trip, so are my colleagues.