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THE DEAD SEA - A
NATIONAL PRIORITY AREA
THE KNESSET'S FINANCE COMMITTEE APPROVES THE INCLUSION
OF THE DEAD SEA ON THE TOURISM NATIONAL PRIORITY MAP
TOURISM MINISTER, STAS MISEZHNIKOV: "THE
DECISION PUTS THE DEAD SEA IN ITS RIGHTFUL PLACE ON THE NATIONAL PRIORITIES MAP.
THE DECISION WILL ENCOURAGE DEVELOPERS TO BUILD HOTELS AND TOURIST
ATTRACTIONS"
The Knesset's Finance
Committee today (2 April) approved
the proposal of
the Minister of Tourism, Stas
Misezhnikov,
and Finance Minister Yuval Steinitz,
to include the Dead Sea area on the tourism national priority map. This will provide further incentive to restore the tourism
industry and overall development of the area, as has been promoted by the
Minister of Tourism over the last year.
The Minister of
Tourism, Stas Misezhnikov stressed that
"this is another economic element
in promoting the Dead Sea and is in direct correlation with the activities
conducted by the Ministry of Tourism in the region. Today Israel
has placed the Dead Sea in
its rightful place on the national
priorities map. Now, entrepreneurs who are interested
in developing hotels in the region will receive a significant incentive and a security net for their investment. This is a
double vote of confidence in the development of the Dead Sea area, from both the state and from the developers. Accordingly, the Tourism Ministry is working
to approve the construction of about 2,750 hotel rooms in the
Dead Sea area within the next 3 years."
In keeping with the decision,
the Dead Sea will join other national priority locations such as the Lower Galilee, Nazareth, Beit Shean Valley, the Negev, the Upper and Western
Galilee, the Golan, Jerusalem,
Eilat, Netanya and
Haifa. In these areas
the Ministry of Tourism encourages entrepreneurs through targeted grants
of up to about 20% of the total investment to build hotels and allocates grants of up to about 10% of the
construction of tourist attractions.
In February the
government approved a proposal by the Minister of Tourism and the Minister of Environmental Protection to improve
tourism and develop the area of the Dead Sea: an investment of about 850
million NIS in the next 5 years.
Meanwhile, the Tourism
Ministry's survey regarding the future design of the Dead Sea ended yesterday. In the survey, which
reached out to the citizens of Israel, the beachfront resort style was chosen as the most popular of the three
options. The beachfront resort style incorporates the
construction of hotels on the water, a health spa on the water, accessible
beaches, and a unique marine experience of the region.
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