Jerusalem, 12 July 2012

REHABILITATION PROGRAM FOR THE DEAD SEA

RECOMMENDATIONS FROM THE COMMITTEE INITIATED BY THE MINISTRY OF TOURISM TO
DEVELOP DEAD SEA REGION BETWEEN HAMEI ZOHAR AND EIN BOKEK INCLUDE:
CONSTRUCTION OF HOTEL ROOMS AT VARIOUS STANDARDS, ARCHITECTURE THAT REFLECTS
THE DESERT LANDSCAPE AND DEVELOPING A BOARDWALK ALONG THE COAST

Minister of Tourism, Stas Misezhnikov: "This is an opportunity to design the
region for generations. We have made a significant step in the
rehabilitation of the Dead Sea region and the tourism facilities in the
area. According to the schedule – within nine months a new plan will be
presented with the suggested design for hotels and tourism in the area."

As a result of the Government decision to accept the recommendations of the
Minister of Tourism and Minister of Environmental Protection to rehabilitate
the Dead Sea region at a total investment of NIS 850 million over the next
five years, senior representatives from the hotel and tourism industries met
with architects and engineers in order to discuss the development of the
region between Hamei Zohar and Ein Bokek.

The Dead Sea Preservation Government Company (DSPGC), together with a
national interdisciplinary team, is in charge of creating a comprehensive
plan to be submitted to the Minister of Tourism. DSPGC CEO, Shimon Daniel,
emphasized that the plan will also upgrade the existing hotels, and not only
the reconstruction of new ones. The plan is also based on creating
attractions outside of hotels such as restaurants, shopping centers and
more.

Various representatives from the industry have recommended constructing
hotels of various levels (from C to A) in order to appeal to all types of
tourists and visitors. Other aspects of the plan include creating new
tourism infrastructures, ensuring that the architecture integrates into the
desert landscape and the construction of a boardwalk along the Dead Sea
shores.

The Dead Sea was the most crowded leisure destination in Israel in 2011,
with 857,000 visitors during the year. According to data from the Central
Bureau of Statistics in 2011, the hotel occupancy in the Dead Sea was 77% as
opposed to 75.3% in Tel Aviv, and 67% in Eilat, with a consistent growth
rate of 43% in the last five years. Hotel revenue in the area reached NIS
1.096 billion in 2011.

According to the development plan, 12-16 new hotels will be built over the
next 10 years. An additional 4,000 extra hotel rooms will be built, while
existing ones will be renovated. As part of the Law to Encourage Capital
Investment, the Ministry of Tourism has allocated NIS 9 million in grants
for entrepreneurs interested in developing or expanding hotels in the Dead
Sea region as specified in the conditions for the grant. Grant requests can
still be submitted until August 15, 2012.
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Lydia Weitzman
Foreign Press Adviser to the Ministry of Tourism
052-3584395
israeltourismministry@gmail.com