President Zalman Shazar revealed yesterday that he was a keen amateur fisherman but said he had a hard time finding a place to fish among the trash and man-made filth that litters Israel’s beaches. Shazar displayed a rare spark of anger in criticizing the condition of the beaches which he called “disgraceful.” He made his remarks during ceremonies at his residence here in which he presented awards to 29 hotels and tourist agencies that earned at least $1.25 million last year.
At ceremonies in the Knesset later, Tourism Minister Moshe Kol reported that some three million tourists have visited Israel in the five years since the Six-Day War, more than in the previous 19 years. He said that income from tourism this year was expected to top $250 million, not including the passenger earnings of Israel’s two over-seas carriers, El Al and Zim steamship line. Kol said 75,000 tourists will have visited Israel by the end of this year. Kol presented tourism promotion certificates to 98 hotels and firms that earned at least $250,000 last year.
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