NEW PLANS FOR AN ADDITIONAL HALF A MILLION TOURISTS A YEAR:

Minister of Tourism MK Yariv Levin announced a new initiative that could dramatically change tourism in Israel beginning this coming winter. According to the new plan, each airline that successfully opens a new flight to Ben Gurion Airport will receive a grant of 100 thousand euros. If each airline provides more and more flights, the grant will be increased to 300 thousand euros per year. The new plan comes as the Ministry of Tourism realized that airlines market tourist destinations far better than any government campaign. According to the estimates, the new plan will bring 80 additional direct flights from new destinations and increase the amount of tourists adding half a million tourists a year. In the past year, more than 3 million tourists visited Israel. The increase of tourists, especially during the winter season, is also expected to reduce the summer prices of resorts across Israel. (INN)