Israel gearing up to receive more Chinese tourists

[Photo provided to China Daily]

Israelis are hospitable to Chinese also because Shanghai had sheltered many Jewish refugees fleeing Nazi-occupied Europe during World War II, says Li.

The new visa policy is part of Israel's efforts to make visa application procedures simpler since it started granting individual tourism visas to Chinese applicants in 2013, says Perri.

Israel and China began to waive visas for holders of diplomatic and service passports in January.

Israel's Ministry of Tourism says the number of Chinese visitors to Israel has risen by more than 30 percent year-on-year over the past three years. Last year, more than 47,000 Chinese traveled to Israel, marking a 43 percent rise over 2014. Israel estimates that the number will reach 68,000 this year.

Israeli tourism officials are making efforts to promote their country as a destination for Chinese tourists this year, with the aim of achieving an annual average of 100,000 Chinese visitors in the next few years.

China on its part has announced the first direct flight from the mainland to Israel by Hainan Airlines, three times a week, effective from April 28. It takes more than 11 hours by a nonstop flight from Beijing to Tel Aviv.

EL AL Israel Airlines has three direct flights from Beijing to Tel Aviv and six from Hong Kong to Tel Aviv every week.

"I'm excited about the new flights and hope there will be more (in the future) for the convenience of Chinese travelers," Perri says.

Bora Shnitman, director of the Israeli government's tourism office in Beijing, says some hotels in Israel are inviting Chinese chefs to train local staff so as to cater to Chinese tastes and also plan to offer Chinese TV channels.