Israel Looks to Boost Tourism Investment for West Bank
25.08.2023 - 14:38
/ skift.com
/ Peden Doma Bhutia
Looking to position itself as a leading tourism destination in the Middle East, Dubai has scrapped the 30 percent municipality tax on alcohol for what has been called a trial period of one year, till December 31. Also, tourists and expats will no longer need to pay a fee to secure a personal liquor license to purchase alcoholic beverages. However, an Emirates ID, or passport for tourists, will still be required. The change that came into effect from Sunday, was confirmed by Maritime and Mercantile International, one of the biggest alcohol retailers in the United Arab Emirates and a subsidiary of the state-owned Emirates Group.
The Gulf region became the top Asian source market for Germany as nationals from Gulf countries accounted for over 872,000 overnight stays in the country in the first nine months of 2022. Germany recorded a 180 percent surge in overnight stays from Gulf nationals from January-September 2022, compared to the same period in 2021, according to the German National Tourist Board. However, compared to 2019, the figure still represents a decrease of 34.5 per cent. Noting strong traction from the Gulf region, Yamina Sofo, director of sales and marketing at the German National Tourist Office, the regional office of German National Tourist Board, said, “Our goal at the moment is to continue to attract visitors from the region and aim to reach the numbers we welcomed prior to the Covid-19 pandemic.”
Haim Katz, the newly sworn-in tourism minister of Israel’s hardline right-wing government, said the government would increase investment in developing West Bank, calling the occupied area “our local Tuscany.” At a ceremony on Sunday, Katz said the ministry would channel resources to promote tourism in West Bank. “We will invest in areas that earlier did not receive enough attention, including our local Tuscany in Judea and Samaria,” he said, using the biblical name of the territory. Katz also emphasized the importance of the tourism ministry’s role in improving the economy and promoting Israel as a travel destination.
Oman has invited bids from local firms for the development of Silver Jubilee Park at Sohar, a major domestic tourist attraction for the sultanate. The office of the governor of North Batinah has invited bids exclusively from Omani companies to develop an open park with plenty of green spaces and picturesque water bodies. The deadline for submitting the bids has been set at February 12. The development of the park would be in line with the targets of Oman Vision 2040 that promotes utilisation of public land for investment purposes, local media reported quoting an official from the governor’s office. Sohar Municipality has also been working to develop other parks in the city with