Israel is witnessing exponential growth in tourism — the Middle-Eastern country recorded around 1.14 million overseas visitors in the first quarter of 2019, a 14 per cent rise from the previous year.

With a hope to attract more tourists by the end of 2019, Israel has come up with the following travel-friendly initiatives for tourists.

  •  Israel Pass – The pass lets you access public transportation freely across Israel. With this pass, you also enter six national parks and nature reserves including Masada, Ein Gedi, Caesarea, Qumran in the region. The card can be purchased at the Ministry of Transport and Road Safety booth in the arrival’s hall in Terminal 3 at Ben Gurion Airport.
  • The Ilan and Asaf Ramon International Airport – The country’s newest airport, located in Timna Valley, will service the Red Sea resort city of Eilat and the surrounding region. Spread across 1,250 acres of space, Asaf Ramon International Airport is Israel’s first civil airport built from scratch and features minimalist and contemporary design highlighting scenery of the desert mountain-scape.
  • New bus line connecting Ben Gurion Airport to Tel Aviv hotels – The new bus line launched by Kavim company, Number 445 will operate 24 hours a day from Sunday to Thursday on an hourly frequency. Costing NIS 9.30, the bus takes travellers from Ben Gurion Airport passing Tel Aviv’s hotel areas, Ben Yehuda Street, Yehuda Halevi Street, Menachem Begin Street, and the railway complex. It also joins the Israel Railways train lines, which operate from the train stations in Tel Aviv.
  • New VIP Luxury Lounge at Ben Gurion Airport – Enjoy luxurious pre-flight services at the Fattal terminal of Ben Gurion Airport. The new VIP Luxury lounge comes with a conference room, two shopping stores along with six private rooms, a resting room, and a private bathing room.
  • Ben Gurion Airport to be expanded – Ben Gurion Airport’s main Terminal 3 will be expanded by 80,000 sq m, and will include the addition of 90 new check-in counters, four new baggage conveyor belts, and expansion of the existing duty-free space. Immigration checkpoints and parking facilities will also be enhanced. A fifth passenger concourse will be constructed to accommodate additional aircraft as part of the expansion.
  • New on-demand shuttle service in Tel Aviv – Via Transportation in partnership with Israeli public transportation company Dan has launched a new on-demand van shuttle service called Bubble in Israel. The app lets users order rides that automatically devise a route to best suit the needs of a passenger, who is picked up and dropped off only at existing bus stops.

Natasha Nitturkar