Israelis return to Turkey

By Peter Lyukimson, Israel, exclusively for Vestnik Kavkaza

Over 1 million Israelis are on vacation, 20% of them in Turkey, to mark the Passover (liberation from slavery in Egypt ended in 1312 BC). This gives an impression that the Israeli tourism stream to Turkey was fully restored.

The reason why people in Israel like to visit other countries during the Passover has several reasons: all state structures close for a week and their staff get free time, many secular Jews do not like the strict laws of the Passover prohibiting consumption of leavened bread. Some food totally disappears from Jewish shops and can only be found in Arab areas.

Such flow of tourists to Turkey was a surprise for both Israeli and Turkish companies. The number of flights from Tel Aviv to Istanbul, Ankara and Antalia increased sufficiently. This is, no doubt, the reaction towards recent reports about normalization of Israeli-Turkish relations.

Mikhail Lzyzerovich, a tourism agent, told Vestnik Kavkaza that Turkey offered relatively cheap hotels with his service, recreation.