Mongolia and Israel: tourism cooperation agreement signed

The Tourism Ministers of Israel and Mongolia signed last week a joint tourism agreement in Jerusalem to boost tourism between the two countries
 
The signing of the agreement is the initiative of Mongolia’s President Nambaryn Enkhbayar, who visited Israel in 2008 during a conference organized by President Shimon Peres. The agreement includes a postal distribution agreement, an exchange of professional know-how, joint ventures in tourism initiatives and cooperation for the promotion of tourism between the countries.
 
As Mongolia is a country which contains desert land, the countries will emphasize tourism in the desert region. They will explore the markets of rural tourism and develop desert tourism.
 
The Mongolian delegation, which includes the Mongolian Tourism andEnvironment Minister, the Mongolian Ambassador to Israel (who resides inAnkara) and the International Relations Director of the Mongolian Tourismand Environment Ministry, arrived 8.9.09. During the three day visit, they met with representatives of the tourism industry in Israel and visited the Tel Aviv and Jerusalem region.
 
Israel's Tourism Minister Stas Misezhnikov said: "The Tourism Ministry attaches great importance to creating connections with new countries, both to encourage newtourism to Israel and to promote cooperation in different fields”.
 
Mongolia, in north Asia, borders Russia to the north and China to the south. 85% of the 3 million Mongolians are ethnic Mongolians, mainly Buddhists.
 
Mongolia has been a member of the International Tourism Organization since the 1990.   Mongolian government declared tourism as a preferred industry withmuch potential for the socio-economic development of the country - theindustry employs about 12,000 workers.
 
The signing took place last Tuesday at 13:45 at the King David Jerusalem andfollowed by a professional seminar led by representatives of the Tourism Ministry.