Haifa targets bigger slice of the tourism pie

Bahai Gardens Photo: PR
Bahai Gardens Photo: PR

Haifa is doubling the number of hotel rooms in the city and expanding its airport.

Haifa is doubling the number of hotel rooms in the city as it seeks to become a major tourist destination. The city currently has about 1,600 hotel rooms and expects this number to double in the coming few years. There are currently 460 hotel rooms under construction and a further 1,070 in advanced stages of planning, according to the Israel Hotels Association.

Haifa Mayor Yona Yahav told "Yediot Ahronot, "When I was elected I decided to change the entire approach to planning and building for tourism in the city. I stopped the process of rezoning areas zoned for tourism as zoned for residential construction. How can it be that a city with such marvelous views should not be on the tourist map and most people come to sleep over for one night here."

Haifa has golden Mediterranean beaches, superb panoramas of the sea from Mount Carmel and world class tourist attractions like the Bahai Gardens. Yet at present, 50% of the hotel stays that do take place are high-tech and other businesspeople rather than tourists. Yahav also says that it is not acceptable that almost all foreign tourism comprises one-night stays by visitors touring around the country.

"We have been working very hard in terms of PR, especially with our twinned cities around the world in Germany, China and many more countries."

Yahav feels a corner has been turned with the February tourism figures to Haifa, for example, showing a 128% increase over 2016, while the national average increase was 24%.

Yahav said, "We are doubling the number of hotel rooms in the next few years to 3,300 rooms and our target is 7,000 hotel rooms and it won't be so difficult to reach that number."

Haifa is also expanding its international airport. The runway, which is currently 1.3 kilometers long, only allows aircraft with up to 80 passengers to land or take off. By extending the runway by 300 meters, planes with up to 120 passengers will be able to use the airport.

Many of the events in the Maccabiah Games in July will take place in Haifa and this should bring hundreds of tourists to the city.

Published by Globes [online], Israel business news - www.globes-online.com - on April 30, 2017

© Copyright of Globes Publisher Itonut (1983) Ltd. 2017

Bahai Gardens Photo: PR
Bahai Gardens Photo: PR
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