Israel offers grants to bring in more Mandarin speaking guides

Global Business

israel-offers-grants-to-bring-in-more-mandarin-speaking-guides

The number of Chinese tourists heading to Israel is growing so rapidly that Israel’s tourism ministry is having a tough time keeping up. There simply aren’t enough Chinese language tour-guides to accommodate the visitors.

CCTV’s Stephanie Freid reports from Tel Aviv.

The path to Jerusalem is increasingly populated by Chinese tourists.

So many that Israel’s tourism ministry is paying local Mandarin speakers to get their tour-guide licenses

According to tourism ministry figures, there’s been a 50 percent jump in Chinese visitors to Israel this year. By 2020, the ministry predicts China natives will be among the top five nationalities visiting Israel.

To foster the influx, a new, 10-year-multiple entry visa policy for Chinese citizens has been implemented and airlines operate six direct Beijing-Tel Aviv flights per week. Chinese hoteliers with an eye on building chains in Israel are being offered incentives.

China Tourism Administration statistics shows outbound travelers usually head to neighboring Asian countries. The Israeli government wants to put Israel on the itinerary radar when holiday planning times comes around.

Another major reason to keep China’s travelers to Israel happy is spending power. The only group that spends more than Chinese tourists when they’re traveling in Israel is Ultra-Orthodox Jews.