Israel to host Bollywood Forever concert in October

In October, Israel will be holding a concert called “Bollywood Forever” where actors like Kareena Kapoor Khan and Akshay Kumar will be present.

The information was shared by Israel Ministry of Tourism (IMOT) at their recent road-show in Kolkata.

With the introduction of a non-stop direct flight from New Delhi to Tel Aviv, and availability of other flights via Mumbai and Istanbul as well as land entrance from Jordan and Egypt, getting to the Holy Land is less of a problem now.

Besides, people from the eastern and northeastern states will be able to apply directly for visa through the newly opened visa application center in Kolkata (located at Acropolis Mall).

Visa processing usually takes 3-4 days.

Israel has also slashed its visa fees from Rs 1,700 to Rs 1,100.

Hassan Madah, Director Israel Ministry of Tourism- India and Philippines, was the key speaker at the event.

Later in the day, a 20-member delegation, consisting of destination management companies from Israel interacted with over 100 travel and tour operators, MICE providers and up-market leisure operators from Kolkata and the eastern region.

Commenting on the rising tourism industry of Israel, Madah said, “Tourism is on the rise in Israel. European tourists have been a constant, the number of Chinese people visiting the country has also increased considerably in the last few years. Arrivals from India has also increased in the last few years, with a half yearly growth record of 82% as compared to the same period in 2015, more than 44,000 Indian tourists have already visited the country from January to July, 2018. We expect a lot more travelers from India in the coming years.”

When asked about the best season to visit Israel, Madah said, “The country can be visited all year round, because the summers aren’t that hot nor are the winter’s extremely cold. Tourists mainly prefer the months of April, May and June.” 

The main attractions of Israel includes the capital Tel Aviv, Caesarea National Park, Haifa which is the Bahai community residence, Akko also known as Acre, Sea of Galilee, Jerusalem, the Dead Sea Area and Eliat which is at the south of Israel.

About the main tourists attractions, Madah said, “Tel Aviv is one of the most popular destinations and it is considered as the party capital of the country, Haifa is the largest community where the members of the Bahai religion reside and it hosts the largest number of Bahai people in the world, Dead sea is considered as the end of the earth and is famous for its luxurious hotels, Sea of Galilee is the most visited by the pilgrims, Eliat is like the Goa of India and finally Jerusalem is also a tourist favorite and shopping is a must at Jerusalem.”

When asked about the food in Israel, Madah said, “The local food is very popular among the tourists, hummus and falafel are the national dishes apart from local food a wide variety of continental restaurants are also present, vegan restaurants are very popular, Israel has the first vegan desert shop, there are Indian food too, I hope tourists enjoy them.”

(Reporting by Tirna Chatterjee)