"If you are locked in on the destination and the date - you should book a vacation for the summer now, because in the near future we will not see a drop in prices," advises Oz Berlovich, CEO of Arkie International. promised.
The airlines may offer special deals, but the hotels will not lower prices.
Family vacations will not be discounted, and it is recommended to book as far in advance as possible, not to wait for May."
After a rather short period of Corona restrictions, Berlovich felt that the Israelis wanted to fill the deficit imposed on them.
The demand for vacations overseas is returning to its peak days, and towards Passover and the hot summer months he noticed a significant rise in bookings.
"There is a larger backlog of orders for July and August than for Passover, and that means two things," he explains in a special interview, ahead of the spring season and summer vacations.
"First of all, Israelis are starting to consume vacations and tourism in a similar way to that of Europeans - they understand that when they close the reservations in advance, they get the hotels they want, the flights they want, the rental car they want and at affordable prices.
Focusing on flights and vacation packages.
Berlovich, photo: Koko
"Second - summer is currently the most popular season even though we are about six months away from the big holiday. I can tell you that right now the prices for Passover are still relatively low because there is not as much demand as they thought, and you should check this and order early."
We see a price increase in all airlines compared to 2019. What are the reasons for this?
"The price increases can be seen in the 'peaks' of the Israeli vacation destinations, especially during vacations to the Greek islands and Turkey in July-August and during the Tishrei holidays. Compared to 2019, the price of fuel has doubled, which is one of the reasons why flights have become more expensive. Fuel makes up about 30% of the cost of the flight The prices of the various products have risen, energy in Europe is becoming more expensive, salaries have risen, and the supply - especially the holiday destinations - is limited compared to the very high demand. The dollar exchange rate has risen significantly, and this also makes the flight more expensive for the consumer. In the end, the public will have to put more shekels for fewer dollars, hence the increase in the exchange rate Not good for the Israeli passenger."
Thinking about the big holiday.
National Guard, archive, photo: Liron Moldovan
Which destinations are expected to be the hottest this summer?
"On our map we have marked a wide variety of destinations that suit almost any vision of freedom for everyone: Paris, Munich and the Black Forest, Madrid, Barcelona, we have increased frequencies to the Greek islands and Larnaca, where we anticipate very high demand, and we have opened exotic destinations such as Zanzibar. We will also operate flights Palma de Mallorca, Italy is expected to be in great demand, as well as Eastern European destinations such as Bucharest and Belgrade."
What did you learn from the challenging corona period?
"After two and a half years, Israelis are not only looking for the best price, but also the best service, and this year we are putting an emphasis on this. It starts with a comprehensive response to both flights and packages, and we are significantly increasing our customer service, because with all the options Order online - people want to talk to representatives."
Last week, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced that Oman will for the first time allow Israeli companies to fly over its territory - a step that will significantly shorten the duration of the flight to the East and also allow for lower prices.
For Arkia, which canceled the route to Goa in India due to the ban on flights over Oman, this is great news.
The road is getting shorter.
Sri Lanka, photo: Moshe Shay
"The opening of flights over Oman will allow Arkia to fly to new and very interesting destinations," says Berlovich, "We are already looking at direct flights to various Indian destinations, chief among them Goa, and at the same time we are looking at direct flights to a very interesting destination - Sri Lanka. Quite a few Israelis fly there for vacations and are forced to This is with stops. We are currently starting to check all the options, and I hope that in the near future we will be able to come out with news in this direction."
In the past you rented a wide-body plane and flew to Thailand, is there any intention to go on a similar trip soon?
"At the moment Arkia wants to focus on what it is good at - flights and vacation packages. About 40% of our flights are sold as a package, and this has a very big meaning. Arkia has become a company with a fleet of several types of aircraft, and the share of special flights for groups and projects that we take out is about 30% of the company's turnover - this is an extraordinary figure.
The Taj Mahal, Delhi, India, photo: GettyImages
"A wide-body plane is not in the immediate plans, but we have some interesting ideas. After all, we are an island nation. Israelis like to discover the world and they are looking for new destinations, and we have requests for very special flights. We will soon surprise you with some projects."
Is there justification for three airlines in Israel? Until recently there were negotiations with El Al, which stalled. Where does he stand now?
"I'm not sure there is justification for three Israeli airlines. There was an attempt by Arkia and El Al to merge, but it was not successful and the contacts are currently stuck. Blue and white Israeli aviation is extremely important. I learned this in Turkey, when we 'opened' Istanbul, which has 14 Flights of foreign companies We receive a huge amount of requests to Istanbul from Israelis who have been waiting to fly to Turkey with Israeli airlines.
"In the end, the Israeli companies occupy 30% of the share of activity in Israel.
It is true that the low-cost players - especially Visier - are becoming 'monsters' in Israel, but the public has learned that their price is not always the final price, and in many cases the rate increases due to additional services.
The Israeli traveler understands that it is not always right to choose the cheapest option."
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