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Prime Minister Ehud Olmert today visited a waste disposal site and the Dead Sea hotel area in the Tamar Regional Council. Council Chairman Dov Litvinoff briefed the Prime Minister on work being done at the waste disposal site, where a unique system produces natural gas from the waste. The Prime Minister was also briefed on the situation regarding the level of water in the Dead Sea, which affects several of the hotels located along its shoreline.
Tourism Ministry Director-General Shaul Tzemach discussed the growth of tourism, noted that 2008 saw over 3 million tourists enter Israel, and pointed out that the hotels had a 70% hotel occupancy rate.
Prime Minister Olmert said: "I had a moving day today, starting in Yerucham, continuing to Dimona and ending in this special area, the Tamar Regional Council, by the Dead Sea. We saw the waste disposal site. There are wide expanses here to which it is possible to bring most of the State of Israel's waste and I hope that the country will see fit to build rapid and efficient means of transportation. I have no doubt that the great attraction of this area is tourism. There is a unique shoreline here; this is the lowest place on earth, with proven health benefits and pleasant weather almost the entire year round. It is no coincidence that there was a 70% hotel occupancy rate here. I heard about the problems regarding the water level and there is no doubt that quick action is necessary in order to resolve the issue. We started this by establishing a Government company to protect the Dead Sea, which has already begun to work on finding solutions. Hotels are a flourishing industry that provides employment for many residents. The day is not far off when there will be not 4,000 rooms but 20,000, all of which will be full of people who will come to enjoy one of the world's unique places."
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