Tourism not addressed in exit strategy • "Ministry of Health makes it difficult - will not allow tourists with proper checks"
Earlier this week, the line of relief came into effect, and if there is no deterioration - we can see open malls, and even clothing stores that open their doors. However, the first sector that suffered the most severe blow is the tourism and aviation industry, which, to our surprise, is not currently included in the Ministry of Health's plans, at least not those officially published. We checked with the Ministry of Tourism, Finance and Health, and it seems that in many countries around the world, tourism in the country is expected to return very significantly.
Israir crews on "Corona flights" from Italy // Photo: Israir
In recent days there has been an awakening with regard to travelers in Israel. Sources in the tourism industry report that there are some who even book a room. "Zimmer owners should make a living. If the Ministry of Health does not wake up now, the worst will happen - they will receive vacationers, do not have to meet the standards that the Ministry of Health ignores, and thus create a pirate market for vacationers under the Ministry of Health," they explain, "must Address it immediately and build an orderly plan. "
Speaking to the Director of Tourism, Amir Halevi, he says: "We are focusing on domestic tourism back in the Corona period because it is not going to go away any time soon. There will be a standard character, social remoteness and hygiene. We'll probably start with the B & B's and continue with the hotels. Everything will be very supervised. The tourism industry is disciplined and it will follow the instructions received from the Ministry of Health, it is possible. "
He said, "In the second stage, inbound tourism will be integrated. We are investigating what will happen in the world and act accordingly. As for domestic tourism, we begin to formulate plans. As soon as we reach understandings with the Ministry of Health and it enters the exit strategy, we will be happy to immediately authorize leaving for Israel."
When we tried to understand from the Ministry of Finance how they intend to assist the tourism industry, they claimed that there was an aid program for the economy that the ministry had drawn up, which also included the tourism and aviation industry. On the other hand, senior industry officials say the program is irrelevant, and will not help businesses that crash because they are at high risk. How to integrate the industry into the exit exit strategy? The Treasury Department has no answers, and they referred us to the Ministry of Health. The Ministry of Health does not respond, although all arrows are directed to them on this issue.
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Yossi Fattal, director general of the inbound tourism bureau in Israel, said that "the Ministry of Health is making it difficult to return to the routine of the industry and claims that it will not approve checks that a tourist will bring with him from the country of origin. They insist on performing their tests at landing and put each tourist in solitary confinement for a while. Surely it will not encourage tourists to return to Israel and the region. "Fattal added," There is no neat strategic thinking on how the issue should be addressed. That is a failure in itself. "
Amir Hayek, president of the Hotel Association, said: "We are in discussions with the Finance Ministry and the Ministry of Health. There will be a three-stage plan. The first step is compensation, paying the expenses of closed hotels. The second stage is the operation of the hotels. The third stage is compensation. To the damages caused to the hotels. "
Expect a worldwide awakening
In the meantime, figures from the International Airlines Organization show that the airline market is expected to rise by about 25 percent in two months, and by September this year, we expect to see a 50 percent increase in the industry.
At the same time, many airlines are already taking steps to return to operations soon. At the Emirates, Corona tests at the airport, the answers of which take about ten minutes. These corona tests are approved by the US FDA. The test is 95 percent accurate and the tourism industry in the world is expected to use the method, but in Israel it is not taken into account. Alongside this, the American Delta does not sell mid-seats to maintain social remoteness, and Ichihad will introduce symptom testing technology.
