El Al Exec Predicts Israel is on Verge of Great Tourist Boom

Mordechai Ben-Ari, president of El Al, Israel Airlines, reported here yesterday that tourism and air traffic to Israel had recovered almost completely since the Yom Kippur War and predicted that Israel is “on the verge of a great tourism boom.” He forecast a 15-20 percent increase in Israel’s tourist traffic in 1974. Addressing a press conference at El Al’s New York headquarters, Ben-Ari said the “tremendous upsurge of tourism” would come from the U.S. and Canada as well as Europe.

He said that “tourists have become interested in Israel again on the assumption that a re-occurrance of hostilities is very unlikely” especially after the disengagement accord with Egypt. He reported that air traffic and tourism began to recover as soon as the Yom Kippur War ended and at a faster pace than after the 1967 Six-Day War. In Oct. 1973, air traffic to Israel was only 30 percent of what it was in Oct. 1972. But by Nov. 1973 it reached 80 percent of the Nov. 1972 figure and by Dec. 1973 was 92 percent of the figure for Dec. 1972, Ben-Ari said.

According to Ben-Ari, the two major sources of the anticipated tourist boom are “groups and individuals of Jewish organizations who come to Israel to demonstrate their solidarity” and Christian pilgrims who “have an attachment to the Holy Land” and “believe in Israel” and its liberal policy with regard to the holy places of all faiths. Ben-Ari said the increase from the second group has so far exceeded expectations.

The airline executive observed that El Al was the only airline operating to the Middle East during the Oct. war. He noted that El Al was in fact Israel’s only link with the world and had “met all requirements” by “maximum utilization” of its aircraft. In view of the recent war, “Israel must design a policy to strengthen El Al,” Ben-Ari said. (By Yitzhak Rabi)