A study stresses Haifa's strategic location as the gateway to the Galilee and recommends taking measures to attract cruise ships and to create special packages for the business sector
Ernst & Young one of the largest professional services firms in the world, and one of the big four global auditors, presented recently the Haifa municipality with the "Haifa study".
The study, jointly conducted by the Ernst & Young and IPK International consulting groups, stresses Haifa's strategic location as the gateway to the Galilee and recommends taking measures to attract cruise ships and to create special packages for the business sector in order to maximize this market segment.
The study makes recommendations in a number of areas, calling on the city to more actively promote itself as a "strategic" starting point for visits to the Galilee and tourist spots on the Mediterranean coast.
Among the recommendations: construction of more hotels; doubling the number of hotel rooms, establishing a ferry line between Haifa, Acre and Caesarea; development of the western anchorage in the port as a central recreation and entertainment area; turningthe existing small airport into an international airport; and becoming a major port for cruise ships.
The report recommends eight countries as having potential for providing tourists: Russia, China, France, Germany, Italy, Britain, Sweden and the U.S.
