(TAN): Israel’s Tel Aviv-Yafo Municipality has rolled out a strategic plan aiming to turn the city into one of the world’s “most popular urban destinations” by 2030, reports said.
After a successful year of tourism in the country, the plan, derived from the municipality’s City Vision published in 2017, intends to develop a balanced approach to increase tourism in Tel Aviv in a sustainable way, as per reports. It reportedly plans to recognise relevant target audiences, foresee attractions that can be developed, and evaluate existing or planned tourism facilities to help the sector perform better.
Tel Aviv-Yafo Mayor Ron Hudlai reportedly said the plan sought to sustain the surge in tourism with efficient management and planning.
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“In the past few years, we have been witnessing a tourism miracle. Tel Aviv-Yafo used to be a small city that only few tourists visited. It remains a small city, but one of whose name is now recognised globally and many people want to experience. This Master Plan aims to sustain the tourism boom, manage it prudently and plan wisely for the future. Tourism in Tel Aviv-Yafo is a highly important economic engine for the city and the entire metropolitan area,” Mayor Ron Hudlai was quoted by The Jerusalem Post as saying.
Director of Media and Communications, Tel Aviv-Yafo Municipality, Eytan Schwartz, reportedly said making Tel Aviv a top urban destination will depend upon three important aspects – Jaffa, Tel Aviv and its beach, owing to which the body will prioritise work around the three “pillars”.
“The work on the Master Plan included an in-depth examination and analysis of the city from a tourism perspective. We carefully assessed our assets and advantages, but were also unwavering in confronting the challenges and flaws. Above all, we refined Tel Aviv’s unique DNA as a tourist destination that rests on three firm pillars: the ancient city – Old Jaffa – which is our main attraction; the new city – Tel Aviv – which is characterised by phenomenal urban vitality; and, of course, the beach – with its extraordinary qualities,” Schwartz was quoted by Travel Daily News as saying.
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According to reports, the plan includes involving certain markets and groups such as hosting large international conferences, raising tourism from China, attracting more Arab tourists from neighbouring countries, improving its offerings to cater to senior citizens, and bettering the city’s religious sites to draw more Jewish visitors.
Last year, Israel hosted a record number of tourists with around 4.55 million people as compared to 4.1 million visitors in 2018, reports said. It reportedly helped the country generate revenues worth ILS 22 billion (USD 6.41 billion approximately) in 2019. Around 783 hotel rooms were added to Tel Aviv in 2019 to house all these tourists, leading to a total of 11,170 rooms in the city, as per reports.
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