ISRAEL Tourism Minister Yoel Razvozov held a meeting with Ambassador Macairog S. Alberto in the Ministry of Tourism (MOT) in Jerusalem, where the two officials discussed the great potential of both the Philippines and the Holy Land to welcome tourists from each country to the other.
Razvozov and Alberto also talked about matters regarding direct flights and how they will be game-changers in boosting two-way tourism for both countries. They conversed about the memorandum of understanding on tourism with regard to Filipino workers for the tourism industry, as it is already in the final stages.
“It was a pleasure meeting [Ambassador Macairog. I raised the importance of launching direct flights and mutual recognition of vaccination certificates for outgoing] travelers,” said Razvozov.
Also present in the meeting were Hassan Madah (MOT director for Americas and Asia), Nira Fisher (MOT director of International Relations), Yulia Rachinsky-Spivakov (of Israel’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ Economic Affairs-Asia, the Pacific and Euro-Asia), Judy B. Razon (Embassy of the Philippines in Israel’s third secretary and vice consul), as well as Erich George F. Oquendo (protocol officer and attaché.)
A record-breaking number of 34,000 Filipinos visited Israel in 2019, according to data from the MOT. On the other hand, 22,851 Israelis visited the Philippines, based on Department of Tourism statistics. The Holy Land reopened its borders to vaccinated and some recovered foreign tourists on January 9, as Filipino passport holders can enjoy visa-free entry for up to 90 days.
Image credits: Embassy of Israel