The Tourism Ministry plans to double its Russian tourism budget to NIS 12 million.
"To mark the abolishing of the visa requirement for Russian tourists, the Ministry of Tourism will double its marketing budget in Russia from NIS 6 million in 2008 to NIS 12 million in 2009," said new Minister of Tourism Ruhama Avraham Balila. She made the comment during a ceremony marking the abolishment of the visa requirement.
Avraham Balila said that 200,000 Russian tourists currently visit Israel each year, of whom 60,000 are day tourists. The goal is to double the number of Russian tourists to 400,000 a year. Former Minister of Tourism Yitzhak Aharonovitch and ministry director general Shaul Zemah initiated the abolishment of the visa requirement.
Russian Association of Travel Agencies said that only 3% of Russians traveled abroad for their holidays in 2007, and that the number was expected to grow.
Published by Globes [online], Israel business news - www.globes-online.com - on August 3, 2008
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