American cruise vessels put Israel again on their cruise maps

Princess Cruises & Holland America will call Israeli ports in the coming 2007 cruise season. 13,000 tourists will visit Israel on board the ships, producing an income of US$5.5 to the Israeli tourist industry
 
Princess Cruises & Holland America - two of the best known cruise operators - will call Israeli ports in the coming 2007 cruise season. Both companies used to call Israel on regular basis but decided to cut Israel out of their sailing schedule in 2000 as soon as the second intifada broke out.
 
Both companies are owned by the British-American corporation, Carnival Corporation & PLC, the world's largest cruise operator, comprising 12 cruise brands, including Carnival Cruise Lines, Princess Cruise, Holland America Lines, Windstar Cruise and Seabourn Cruise Line in North America; P&O Cruises, Cunard Line, Ocean Village Holidays and Swan Hellenic in the United Kingdom; AIDA and A'ROSA in Germany; Costa Cruises in Southern Europe and P&O Cruises Australia in Australia. It operates 81 ships, totalling more than 144,000 berths with a further 15 ships to be delivered between March 2007 and Spring 2010.
 
Schedules published by both companies indicate the ports of Ashdod & Haifa to be included in their 2007 sailing schedule. The visits will include day trips to Jerusalem, Dead Sea, Haifa, Sea of Gallile, Nazareth & Messada.
 
The companies local port agent A.M.A - Associated Maritime Agencies issued a press release noting that some 13,000 tourists will visit Israel on board the ships, producing an income of US$5.5 to the Israeli tourist industry.
 
AMA is a major player in the Israeli cruise industry representing best-known operators in the field including Cunard Cruise, P&O Cruises, Princess Cruises, Holland America Line and Fred Olsen.