Israel Travel

The city of Tel Aviv has become a paradise for international business travelers seeking to stay in touch with their home offices while they visit the Holy Land. With the many hotspots and free Wi-Fi services offered at hotels, restaurants, fast food chains and cafés, business travelers can check e-mail almost everywhere, make free transatlantic VoIP calls using Skype, and browse the net to keep abreast of the latest news in their respective fields.

The rapid growth in the number of wireless Internet users around the world has created a need for many people to rely on Wi-Fi connections while traveling. The advantage of using Wi-Fi is that it gives business and leisure travelers added mobility and flexibility.

The ability to access the net from almost everywhere has become a necessity for business travelers who want to keep in touch with colleagues and clients regardless of their physical locations, and who want to check e-mail between meetings. Those equipped with smart-phones and other wireless handheld devices, such as Blackberry, can use them all around Israel without difficulty.   

Unlike Europe and the United States where most places charge for internet use, almost all establishments in Israel's business capital offer Internet services free of charge. Take, for example, the Atlas Hotel chain. Atlas grants all its guests free, unlimited broadband access to the Web from the hotel lobby, meeting rooms or from private guest rooms using a Wi-Fi hot spot, which is an area that allows high-speed wireless Internet access.

According to a recent survey, there are more than 200 hotspots available for laptop users in the greater Tel Aviv area alone. The majority of these are offered by hotels, restaurants and coffee shops, but visitors to Israel can also access the net at gas stations, hospitals, parks, universities, shopping malls and other places of interest such as Rabin Square in downtown Tel Aviv.

The number of hot spots in Israel has been doubled in each of the previous few years and is expected to continue growing at that pace in the foreseeable future. Any businessman with a laptop computer can check e-mail almost anywhere without having to pay for it.

Here is a list of hotspots in Tel Aviv that offer free high-speed wireless Internet access:

Hotels
The Atlas Hotel Chain offers unlimited and free of charge Wi-Fi services in six of its hotels in Tel Aviv: Basel Hotel, Tal Hotel, Melody Hotel, City Hotel, Cinema Hotel and Center Hotel. The services is available in the main banquet halls, restaurants, poll area, bar and the in the lobby.

Coffee Bars
Arcaffè chain is not only bringing real Italian espresso bars to Tel Aviv, but also offering high quality wireless access in all its coffee bars around Tel Aviv, from Ramat Aviv Mall in the north of Tel Aviv to Rothschild Boulevard at the finance center of the city. Other large coffee chains – such as Aroma, Cup 'O' Joe, The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf and Coffee To Go - offer Wi-Fi services for free. Such services are provided also by many other cafes such as Merelin Monroe Café, Noah Coffee, Coffee Print and others.

Restaurants
Leading American Fast Food Chains McDonald's and Burger King Offer free of charge wireless services in their branches in Tel Aviv.  There is Wi-Fi spot in the brasseire restaurant, which is located on Iben Gavirol Street near Rabin Square. Kyoto Salsa Restaurant, and Messa, one of Tel Aviv's most elegant restaurants, are also offering fast internet access.

Public Places
At the trendy Tel Aviv Port there's no need to enter one of the many restaurants or bars in the area. This prime entertainment center features Wi-Fi Internet access, meaning web surfers and businessmen can take a seat on the boardwalk and connect to cyberspace.  Dizengoff Shopping Mall in central Tel Aviv and Ben Gurion InternationalAirport also feature Wi-Fi hotspots.

So don't think twice about taking a laptop on a business trip to Tel Aviv. One is immediately connected upon landing in Israel - not just to the warm, friendly people of the Holy Land, but to all people connected to the net. Home away from home, they call it in the hospitality industry.

The first concerts of Cohen in Israel, with his acoustic trio of Shai Maestro (piano) and Mark Giuliana (drums), will take place at Jerusalem’s The Lab art center on Thursday October 11. The Israeli bassist will also perform at Tel Aviv’s Zappa Club, starting from Friday, October 12 till Sunday October 14.

Avishai Cohen, born April 20, 1970 in Israel, is a musician who has been called a jazz visionary of global proportions by DownBeat, and was declared one of the 100 Most Influential Bass Players of the 20th Century by Bass Player Magazine. Until late in 2003, Avishai was a member of the Chick Corea New Trio, and accompanist to other jazz note-worthies, including Bobby McFerrin, Roy Hargrove, Herbie Hancock, Nnenna Freelon, Claudia Acuna, Paquito DRivera and many others.

His new album offers an overview of his career with highlights from his recordings: Smash, Elli, Samuel, One For Mark and Nu Nu are from Continuo (RazDaz, 2006), Remembering and Feediop were featured on At Home (RazDaz, 2005), Etude stems from the recording Unity (Avishai Cohen & The International Vamp Band, Stretch, 2001), and Bass Suite #1 is a stand out track from Avishais debut release, Adama (Stretch, 1998).

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UK low cost airline bmi is intends to launch a daily non stop service from Heathrow to Tel Aviv starting next spring. The move come after the successful conclusion of bilateral talks between the UK and Israeli governments, allow the designation of a second UK and Israeli airline on routes between London and Tel Aviv.

“The opportunity to be part of the growing business links and ties between the UK and Israel is extremely exciting and we shall look forward to playing our part in widening the competitive air links between the two countries, and the economic growth that this has historically achieved,” said Nigel Turner, bmi CEO.

The launch of services from Heathrow to Tel Aviv will grow the total number of destinations served by bmi, Heathrow’s second biggest airline, from Heathrow to 39. Earlier this month bmi announced the largest-ever expansion of its route network, with the opening of sales to 17 new destinations, including Baku, Cairo, Tehran, Beirut, and Amman. The move marks the completion of the integration of BA destinations that were operated by BMED under a franchise agreement. BMED was purchased by bmi in February 2007.   

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Print advertisements include depictions of a dancer on the beach in Tel Aviv, a chef in Jerusalem, a cowboy on the Golan Heights, a Tel Aviv high-tech expert whose hobby is building guitars, and an archeologist atop Masada. The television campaign will be concentrated in New York, Los Angeles and south Florida.

Travelers from North America representing the largest single source of tourism to the country, with some 600,000 North Americans visited Israel in 2006, almost 30% of the total tourists visiting Israel last year. Israel goal is to double North American tourism to Israel by 2010.

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The Jazz Festivals in Eilat have roots in the middle of the 1980s but it is only in the last couple of years that it has become a catalyst for the development of a new kind of rich jazz environment, which places the broad style of jazz music in the cultural mainstream of the Israeli public audience. The Red Sea festival not only attracts leading international jazz musicians that are a great source of inspiration for local jazz groups, but it drives other leading jazz performers to play in Israel throughout the year. The year 2007 is probably the best ever in terms of the quality of the international jazz favorites that have come to play here in the holy land.

 
Eilat Red Sea Jazz Festival

The small-scale event for jazz buffs which started in 1987 became a major three-day jazz festival drawing the foremost overseas artists. During the 20 years of its existence more than 1500 world class jazz artists have been hosted by the highly esteemed festival which aligns with the most important jazz festivals worldwide.

This year's festival, which took place in Eilat Sea Port from August 27 until August 30, featured a global array of artists from a broad spectrum of musical styles, from New Orleans and Latin to top Israeli groups.

Highlights of the 21st International Jazz Festival include the famous British Jazz group "Incognito". Formed in 1979 in London, England by leader Jean-Paul "Bluey" Maunick, Incognito deliver a blend of Hip Hop, Acid Jazz with a touch of Rhythm & Blues.

Award-winning, jazz vibraphonist Mike Mainieri was perform with his group STEPS AHEAD and the American jazz organist, trumpeter, and vocalist Joey Defrancesco and his trio featuring Ron Blake combined their talents in a organ/sax jazz concert. Other interesting international groups that performed in the festival are: Bireli Lagrene and Sara Lazarus, Vienna Art Orchestra, Chris Potter's Underground Quartet, Conrad Herwig and Brian Lynch, and Tomasz Stanko Quartet.

10 Israeli ensembles, selected out of 80 applicants, will perform in the festival alongside the international groups. The Israeli groups in the festival are Shem Tov Levy Ensemble, Rony Holan in a tribute to Tony Williams, Hot Club of Israel led by Roman Alexeev, Walakata, The Mamelo Gaitanopoulos Nonet, Arad Yeini in a tribute to Lee Morgan, Fourword Quartet, Arie Volinez Group, Hagiga Sextet and Meir Ben Michael Quintet.

Jerusalem Jazz Festival

The International Jazz Festival held in Jerusalem is still small compared to the Eilat jazz festivals, but this year it has succeeded in bringing famous jazz artists from around the world. International Jazz favorites such as Slide Hampton, one of the greatest trombonists of all time, and Carmen Lundy, one of the most talented, sophisticated and respected jazz singers in the past 30 years, participated in the Jerusalem Jazz Festival 2007, which took place in David’s Tower Museum and the Yellow Submarine, from June 19 until June 22.

Slide Hampton appeared in Jerusalem heading a band of four trombones and a Rhythm Section, in a performance of mostly original arrangements of the delicate and sensual Bossa-Nova music of the renowned Brazilian composer Antonio Carlos Jobim. The Carmen Lundy Quartet was featuring the brilliant pianist Anthony Wonsey, Carmen’s brother the respected contrabass player Curtis Lundy, The Norwegian guitarist Lage Land and the young New York drummer Jason Brown.

Tel Aviv Jazz Festival

The famous saxophonist Pharoah Sanders cancelled his arrival to the Tel Aviv Jazz Festival 2007 but it didn’t stop it from being one of the most comprehensive jazz events in Israel for some time. The Festival was celebrating its 18th annual event with leading international artists like the pianist Stefano Bollani, the saxophone and clarinet player Matt Renzi along with his Trio; the Organissimo Trio from Michigan, and the American jazz vocalists Judy Wexler.

Israeli Jazz musicians participated with special performances for the festival from - Slava Ganelin and Vladimir Volkov, Daniel Zamir and Omri Mor, Julia Feldman, Uri Bracha, Nadav Haber, and many others.

While the internationally renowned musicians still caught most of the attention at the jazz festivals in Israel, there was no doubt that the quality of the Israeli jazz performers was one of the best ever. No wonder! The international jazz stars are a source of inspiration, creating new standards to rise to. And the local musicians learned the lessons year after year in order to climb to the top levels. Some of them had to taste the Jazz atmosphere of New York City or go to study in Barkley, but those who stayed in Israel had the talent, motivation and openness to bring new sound to their music. Sounds that are drawn from the richness of the Mediterranean music culture.

Will the rise of Israeli jazz musicians be a catalyst for the development of a new type of cooperation between the major force on the local music scene and the leading international artists? We need to wait for next year to see if this wish will come true.

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UK low cost airline Thomsonfly is launching new services to Tel Aviv this winter, with flights on sale now for departures starting on 1 November 2007. Thomsonfly is set to become the first low-fares airline to launch flights to Israel, offering potentially significant savings by comparison to existing high fares airlines serving Tel Aviv, including El Al and British Airways.

Thomsonfly will operate three flights a week from both London Luton and Manchester to Tel Aviv, Israel’s vibrant business capital. Thomsonfly prices start from £80 ($160) one way or £140 ($280) return, including taxes and charges.

“Our decision to launch into Tel Aviv will satisfy the huge demand for direct flights to this exciting Israeli city. The Israeli economy is strong and visitor numbers from the UK are up this year, which is a positive backdrop to the launch of new services,” said Guy Stephenson, Thomsonfly’s Commercial Director. “Both Thomson and Thomsonfly have a unique ability to stimulate tourism from the UK to Israel. Tel Aviv has a growing reputation as a stylish and lively choice for city breaks, but also as an important destination for cultural exchanges and as a place for doing business.”

Thomsonfly is part of TUI AG, the largest tourism and travel services group in the world, which is based in Hanover, Germany. Thomsonfly has a fleet of 47 aircraft and carries over 8 million passengers each year from 20 UK airports to over 80 destinations in 37 countries.

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Tel Aviv is offering a better value for money for travelers than the most of the countries of the eurozone, according to Economist Intelligence Unit's latest Worldwide Cost of Living survey.

Western Europe accounts for the overwhelming majority of the world's most expensive cities, as London (4th), Copenhagen (3rd) and Paris (2nd) have all overtaken Tokyo in the last 12 months to join Oslo as the world's most expensive destinations. Moscow (26th) is now more expensive than New York (28th), the most expensive destination outside Europe and Asia. Tel Aviv, Israel, is rank 47 in the EIU cost of living ranking table.

“Those travelling on a budget would do well to avoid Europe,” said Jon Copestake, the survey's editor. “The strength of European currencies plays a large part, but prices in Europe are also rising whereas those in Japan have been almost static."

Worldwide Cost of Living, the bi-annual Economist Intelligence Unit survey, compares prices and products in over 130 cities around the world. Only five cities in the Middle East and Africa saw the cost of living increase compared to destinations around them. Apart from Tel Aviv most of these were in Africa. Tehran, in Iran, presents the best value for money in the world.

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Israel can achieve 4-5 million tourist arrivals by 2011 if it would focus on improving long-term marketing, infrastructure, attracting investors and adopting a more liberal aviation policy, according to a report by international consulting firm Ernst & Young (E&Y).

The study about the Israeli tourism industry points out that investing $50 million a year on marketing Israel as an attractive travel destination will produce a $447 million a year in new revenues from foreign tourist arrivals. This would also be a major catalyst of growth for Israel economy, by boosting the GDP by $3.5 billion and creating 45,000 new jobs in Israel.

According to the Ernst & Young's optimistic estimates, Israel has a potential to bring 18 million tourists from eight major markets: the US, UK, Germany, France, Italy and Sweden, and then on Russia and China. Currently, only 1.2 million visitors come to Israel from those countries every year.

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Israeli hotel chain Atlas Hotels officially announces today the reopening of Center Hotel as a new boutique hotel designed to celebrate the culture, spirit, art, and architecture of the century old city of Tel Aviv. Israeli Minister of Tourism Isaac Herzog, and Tel Aviv Mayor, Ron Huldai, were participated in the opening ceremony.

The Center Hotel, located on Dizengoff Square and opposite the Cinema Hotel, was converted into a hip, consumer-friendly design hotel. The historic Bauhaus building has been renovated to preserve the special characteristics of "The White City" architectural style. The 56 rooms have been refurbished in an outstanding, unique local art, and have a dash of life style with an historic and cultural connection to the "The White City".

In July, 2003, UNESCO, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, proclaimed "The White City", the unique urban and historical fabric of Tel Aviv-Jaffa, as a World Cultural Heritage site. By this proclamation, the world recognized the special architectural qualities of the buildings, streets, squares and avenues of Tel Aviv.

In the first four months of 2006, Tourist overnights in Israel's hotels rise to record of 2.6 million. The upward trend indicates that tourist overnights will reach 9 million by the end of 2006, according to Israel Ministry of Tourism statistics.

Overnight stays of Israelis and tourists reached 5.8 million, 16 per cent more than in the same period in 2005. The number of overnight stays in the country's hotels rose to 1.8 million in the month of April, up 10 per cent from the same period one year ago. 800,000 of these were by foreign tourists, up 38 per cent from April 2005.

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