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President of the Israel Hotel Association, my friend Avi Ela,
Minister of Finance, Mr. Avraham Hirchson,
Minister of Tourism, Mr. Isaac Herzog,
Members of Knesset,
Directors General of Government Offices,
Hotel Owners,
Members of Israel’s Prosperous Tourism Industry,
Dear Friends,
Distinguished Guests,
To be honest, I had doubts as to whether or not to come here today, at the height of difficult days and times. However, I decided that even under these circumstances, there is room to honor the people and industry which makes such an important contribution to the economic strength and development of the State of Israel.
These are indeed difficult days. Yesterday, a horrific, serious terror attack was carried out by Palestinian factions, which ended in the deaths of two soldiers, the injury of an additional soldier, and the kidnapping of Gilad Shalit. Let it be clear, we consider the Palestinian Authority and its senior officials, starting with the Chairman, and including the entire government as responsible for this action, and all that comes with it. We will do our utmost to ensure that Gilad Shalit comes home safe and sound to his family, who is so worried for him at Mizpe Hila, along with the entire people of Israel.
From here, I send my warm wishes to the Shalit family, and am certain you all join with me. These are difficult times, which necessitate tremendous patience and stamina, and I know that the Shalit family knows that we, the people and Government of Israel embrace them and support them.
We will do all that we can to ensure that Gilad Shalit returns home safe and sound, and it must be clear that there will be no immunity for anyone connected in any way to the kidnapping and imprisonment of soldier Gilad Shalit. Yesterday, I gave an order to military leaders to prepare our troops, so that they are ready for comprehensive and ongoing military action, in order to strike at the terror organizations, their commanders and anyone involved in terror. Let it be clear – we will find them all, wherever they are, and they know it. Let it be clear that no one will be immune.
It so happens that you gathered here to mark the accomplishments in tourism over the last year, and expected that the political and security situation would be such that tourism would continue to prosper. I promise that we will do all we can to make this so. I know it is not especially easy on a day like today, when we face a string of developments which cloud the good feelings, but we have faced more difficult times, and we will face more difficult days. However, I am certain that we will continue this growth which over the last two years completely changed the atmosphere vis-à-vis the State of Israel, and brought it back from a low of 900,000 tourists to 2.4 million per annum, something that is undoubtedly a significant and unique boon to the Israeli economy.
Over the past few months, in the framework of my previous role as Minister of Finance, I conducted a series of meetings with my friend, then Minister of Tourism, Avraham Hirchson. We agreed that, as a result of the activities of the committee headed by Micki Freedman, and appointed by the Minister while still Minister of Tourism, and in accordance with its recommendations, to allocate significant resources to encourage the construction of new hotels in the State of Israel. The expectation of a growth in tourism obligates a growth in the number of rooms available to guests, who are expected to arrive from abroad, as well as in investment in areas which constitute an attraction for tourism in Israel, as well as in new areas which we seek to develop. I spoke with my replacement as Minister of Finance, and encouraged him to sit with his replacement as Minister of Tourism, Isaac Herzog, so that the agreement we reached regarding encouraging the construction of new hotels will continue, thus providing further movement for the encouragement and development of tourism in the State of Israel. I am under the impression that I did not have to push too hard to convince the Minister of Finance, who knows perhaps better than any previous Minister of Finance, the importance of tourism to the State of Israel.
I hope these things will be expressed in this gathering and in the Minister’s speech. The tourism industry is one of the main factors and engines of growth in general and certainly with regard to Israel’s economy. There is no need to reiterate the tremendous potential of this industry in Israel – we are all familiar with it, and know it very well. The amazing combination of history, archaeological sites, entertainment centers, wonderful weather and incredible vistas constitute a basis for the development of the tourism industry, which can make a significant contribution in terms of larger growth rates in the Israeli economy in the coming years. To realize this potential, we must, first and foremost, continue the responsible, shrewd and cautious policy which brought about a transformation in the field of tourism in Israel, and which was initiated by then Prime Minister Ariel Sharon. Despite the hardships, despite the pain, despite the obstacles, despite the threats, I intend to continue this policy so that the Israeli economy in general is strengthened, thereby contributing to the growth and strengthening Israel’s tourism industry.
You know how to do everything else better than the Government. The Government’s role is to assist in the creation of the conditions of the framework for you. I promise you we will do our utmost in this regard. I have no doubt that members of the tourism industry, hotel owners, entrepreneurs, professionals and tourism companies will know how to do what needs to be done to make this industry prosperous, create jobs, establish new hotels, bring tourists to Israel and help us strengthen the economy.
Good luck to you all.
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