Aharonovitch: over 2 million tourists expected in 2007

The cabinet voted recently to cancel the visa requirement for tourists arriving in Israel from Russia. The Tourism Ministry aims to bring 300,000 Russian tourists a year
 
Tourism Minister, Yitzhak Aharonovitch, told the Knesset's Finance Committee last Monday that 2 to 2.3 million tourists were expected to arrive in Israel by the end of 2007, as opposed to only 1.8 million who entered the country last year.
 
The minister's estimation was based on forecasts provided by travel agents and hotels and hinged on the relative calm in the region as well as on progress made the ministry's director-general, Shaul Tzemach in talks with Russia and China to boost tourism to Israel. It is understood that the Tourism Ministry aims to bring 300,000 Russian tourists a year, as opposed to only 70,000 who visit Israel now.
 
The Minister also announced last week that the cabinet voted to cancel the visa requirement for tourists arriving in Israel from Russia.
 
The move will only take effect if the Russians authorities reciprocate by canceling the visa requirement for Israelis arriving to Russia.
 
According to the Minister, over four million Russian tourists visit the Middle East every year, but only 100,000 of them visit Israel. This, he claims, is due to the visa requirement, which other countries in the region do have.
 
The Ministerexpected hundreds of thousands more Russian tourists to come here once the visa requirement is changed.