Arusha — THE Northern Zone Tourism Circuit
will, with effective from next year, be receiving at least 150 leisure
travellers aboard direct flights from Israel, every week, during the
peak season as Jerusalem braces to send here over 6,000 tourists every
year.
The path-finding flight from Tel-Aviv to Kilimanjaro International
Airport with more than 150 travellers from Jerusalem, among them 10
physically challenged persons and representatives from various Israeli
media outlets, accomplished its maiden voyage over the weekend.
They used a chattered El Al Israel Airlines, the same company which
will be used in the direct flights between Jerusalem and Kilimanjaro
effective from next April (2014).
"The tourists from Israel stayed here for nearly two weeks, with the
handicapped persons taking the challenge of scaling Mount Kilimanjaro,
the highest peak on the continent, while the rest sampled Ngorongoro
Crater, Serengeti National Park and Lake Manyara," stated Mr Geoffrey
Tengeneza, communications officer with the Tanzania Tourist Board (TTB).
The Menelik operated, 'Safari Company,' of Tel-Aviv is organizing the
Israel-Tanzania tourism-oriented flights. The firm's Managing Director,
Ms Ronit Hershkovitz, said that in addition to bringing tourists to KIA
the airlines intended to pick Tanzanians heading for their pilgrimage
from Kilimanjaro to Jerusalem and that direct flights between the two
destinations would take only 5 hours. "We have been experiencing a
number of Tanzanians as well as East Africans who travel to the Holy
City for pilgrimage or simply to sample the sites described in their
holy books.
This is also a niche market for our direct flights," explained Ms
Hershkovitz. As for her experience in Tanzania's Northern Circuit, Ms
Hershkovitz said it was so awesome as to make her spend her last sent on
the touring experience; "I am totally broke but extremely satisfied and
I am sure all Israelis back home will be happy to see what I saw!"
Mr Willy Lyimo, Arusha Branch Manager of the Tanzania Tourist Board,
pointed out that for years visitors who come into the country hailed
mostly from the United States, United Kingdom and other European
countries and the breakthrough to the Middle East was extremely
important to the growing industry.
Starting from April 2014, El Al Israel airlines will be running four
flights each month (once a week) in April, May, June, July, August,
September and December between Tel-Aviv and Kilimanjaro, and these were
expected to bring more than 6000 tourists from Jerusalem every year.
SOURCE: Tanzania Daily News (Dar es Salaam)
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