First Chinese tourists pack for Israel
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The first Chinese tour group will arrive in Israel later this month, following the granting of Approved Destination Status (ADS) for the troubled Middle Eastern state.
Eighty tourists will leave in two batches on 25 and 28 September on 10-day trips taking in sights such as Jerusalem, the Dead Sea and the Red Sea resort of Eilat. The groups will also pass into Jordan.
“Our target is to bring some 15,000 Chinese tourists by the end of 2008,” said Foreign Press Adviser to Israel Tourism Ministry, Lydia Weitzman.
The Israeli Tourism and Foreign ministries have been working in the last few years to achieve ADS, with the lucrative potential it brings.
“Every year, some 50 million Chinese visit the area close to Israel, and we need to prepare to absorb some of that,” Israeli Tourism Minister Ruhama Avraham-Balila told a press conference in China earlier this month, adding that the agreement would help ease the strict visa regulations in place between the two countries.
Meanwhile, China Air is reported to be looking into the possibility of operating commercial flights between Israel and China.
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