São Paulo – Palestinian tour operators are looking to bring more Brazilians to visit religious destinations in the Arab country and its neighbouring countries. To that end, delegates from the Holy Land Incoming Tour Operators Association (HLITOA) are in Brazil to attend the 41st Tourism Fair of the Americas, organized by the Brazilian Travel Agencies Association (Abav), due from September 4th to 8th in São Paulo.
“We are investing heavily in infrastructure and all of the investment comes from the private sector. Out of 3.5 million tourists who go to Israel and Palestine each year, 1.2 are cultural tourists and pilgrims,” said Sami Abu Dayyeh, the HLITOA chairman, during a meeting with Brazilian tour operators held at the Arab Brazilian Chamber of Commerce headquarters this Monday (2nd). According to him, 40% of all religious trips to the region are made via Palestinian agencies.
According to Dayyeh, at this time, tourism accounts for 15% of Palestine’s GDP, which was US$ 6.79 billion in 2012. “We are looking to raise that rate to 25% in the coming five years,” said the executive. HLITOA represents 42 tour operators. Of these, eight will attend the Abav fair.
Ibrahim Alzeben, the Palestinian ambassador to Brazil and dean of the Council of Arab Ambassadors in Brasília, who also attended the meeting, noted that operators affiliated with HLITOA also take tourists to neighbouring countries like Syria, Iraq, Israel and Jordan.
“We will be there to let visitors know that we have served pilgrims for hundreds of years. There are hotels in Palestine that are better than the ones you have here, because the pilgrims are willing to pay more,” said Dayyeh. He says there are three five-star hotels in Ramallah and one five-star hotel in Bethlehem, plus four-star units. There are also four-star hotels in East Jerusalem, the Arab portion of the holy city.
Dayyeh says approximately 45,000 Brazilians travel to the Holy Land every year, of which 60% are Catholic and 40% are Evangelical. He says that attending the Abav fair is the first undertaking of the Palestinian private tourism sector in order to promote the destination in Brazil. “We are also going to invest on TV ads, and on religious magazines,” he said.
The HLITOA chairman also says that due to the expectation of having more Brazilians travel to the region, they are training more guides to speak Portuguese and Spanish.
Those interested in going to the region need not spend much, says the executive. A basic seven-day package can be purchased by U$ 910, including lodging, guide, and land transportation.
Tourists wishing to learn more about the Holy Land routes can visit the HLITOA booth at the Fair of the Americas, in São Paulo, or go to the Association’s website, www.holylandoperators.com.
The meeting at the Arab Brazilian Chamber was also attended by Michel Alaby, the Chamber’s CEO, Adel Auada, the administrative vice-president, and Sami Roumieh, the Tourism director.
Service
41st Tourism Fair of the Americas
September 4th to 8th at the Anhembi Exhibition Pavilion
Av. Olavo Fontoura, 1209, São Paulo, SP
September 4th, 5th and 6th, from 12:00 pm to 7:00 pm, only for industry professionals
Admittance is free for Abav associates and affiliates; for non-associates and non-affiliates, the cost is R$ 50 (US$ 21)
September 7th and 8th from 1:00 pm to 8:00 pm, open to the general public
Tickets cost R$ 15 (US$ 6) for one person, R$ 20 (US$ 8) for two persons, R$ 25 (US$ 10) for three persons and R$ 30 (US$ 12.5) for four persons
Children under 12 years old and students pay half-ticket upon presenting identification
Admittance is free for children under 2 years old, retired persons and pensioners, upon presenting identification
Additional information
Tel.: (+55 11) 3905-6318, from 9:00 am to 6:00 pm
Email: querovisitar@promo.tur.br
*Translated by Gabriel Pomerancblum
