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This amazing locale - Ein Bokek- on the southern shores of the Dead Sea is the recipient of a US$100M subsidy investment to build a 240-room hotel, with two indoor swimming pools and a helipad.  The funding comes from the beautiful and chic city of Moscow, considered one of the three richest cities in the world. Israel aims to boost the number of tourists to the country to about 5 million by 2012, from 2.3 million last year. About 9 percent of the visitors last year were from Russia. Russia and Israel signed a visa-free travel agreement this year, effective from September 20, which is expected to increase the number of Russian tourists to 400,000 in 2009. [source]

Moscow is home to some 400,000 people affected by psoriasis, a chronic skin disease which can be temporarily relieved with treatment at the Dead Sea. These people, along with other victims of skin disease, are expected to be the primary recipients of the subsidized vacations at the resort, set to open in 2011. The other half of the rooms will be used for commercial purposes.

It was the new visa regulations that made this project possible, encouraging an unprecedented $100 million worth of investment on behalf of the city of Moscow.

Meet Yael- Yael Jhirad, a decendent of the original shipwrecked group of Jewish families who were escaping Spain and in search of a new place to live.   Today, there are approximately 6000 Jews living in India, split into three distinct groups – the Bene Israel the Cochin Jews, who descended from Europe and the Baghdadis, who were originally from Iraq.  The common thread among them is their love and commitment to Israel. 

Together with her husband Ralphy and their children, Yael makes up a vibrant force for positive community activism for women at home in India and in Israel.

“We grew up with two identities, with India and Israel. And people know that we have family in Israel. In Indian homes, there is always a little temple, with pictures or statues of the gods. When they come to our home they look for it and can’t find it.”

Now Yael Jhirad wants to reconnect the Indian Jewish women to Israel and the entire Jewish Diaspora. This is a daunting challenge to be sure as a new member welcomed into the international WIZO family. But her experience in the travel business serves as a fine base of operations she conducts tours of Jewish India, and she even guided Ehud Olmert when he was the Vice Prime Minister. Self-identity as a woman, a Jewish woman, a woman of India, allows Yael to negotiate and advocate for a diverse population of women who have unmet physical, psychological, financial, legal and emotional needs.

Within every woman lies the potential and the strength to undertake a journey of personal empowerment. The progression is built in such a way that each woman can decide where and how much she wants to move forward. from WIZO

With us today is Mark Hayward, author of the popular travel blog, mytropicalescape.com and owner of a bed and breakfast in Puerto Rico.  Thanks for joining us, Mark.

            1 - Tell us more about yourself.  How did you wind up on a small island off the coast of Puerto Rico?

My journey to Culebra and owning the Palmetto Guesthouse B&B was about ten years in the making. My wife and I always knew that we wanted to travel and try to avoid working in a corporate environment (not that there’s anything wrong with that!).

In January of 1997 we went into the U.S. Peace Corps and headed off to Papua New Guinea for two years. Even back then we knew that we wanted to have a small business somewhere in the Caribbean but it took another ten years of hard work and using what I call “stepping stone” employment to help get us to our current destination.

In fact, after living in Papua New Guinea for two years, we then lived on Samoa the in South Pacific for five years and from there we headed to Tortola, British Virgin Islands in the Caribbean for an additional five years. While in Tortola we thought that we would stay there forever, but during our second year of living there the immigration policy changed to where you could not apply to be a resident unless you lived on island for TWENTY years. That seemed a bit crazy in that I would have to wait until I was sixty before I could actually be a legal resident.

After looking around the Caribbean a bit, Culebra seemed like a perfect fit. The island is part of Puerto Rico so it’s a U.S. territory. That means we do not  need special permission to be able to live here, we don’t need work permits, and if we like, we can run twenty businesses if we want. Oh yeah, and the beaches are amongst some of the best in the world.

2 - How has social media changed the way you look at the web?

Funny, before we bought our guesthouse I didn’t give social media a second thought, but when we took over the Palmetto it hadn’t really been run as a business for over two years. No marketing, no promotion, no real room sales, nothing and we suddenly had a huge mortgage.

Social media and the web put the power of marketing and reputation building in my hands. If we had purchased our property even ten years ago there is no way we would have survived. Social media has changed everything for the small business owner - - having a couple of blogs, posting video to YouTube, and maintaining photos at Flickr has allowed us, at almost no cost, to spread the word about who we are, what we are, and what we have to offer.

 Also, during our first year of operation we didn’t pay for one advertisement anywhere and we found ourselves being featured in both Islands Magazine and Conde Nast Traveler. None of our early success, or the magazine articles, would have happened without the use of social media.

3 - Has the popularity of international traveling changed recently? Anything notable or in the news that has seemed to make a drastic push either way?

I am not sure the popularity of international travel has changed at all recently. However, I think, how people travel, has most definitely changed. Everyone from luxury travelers to business people and backpackers now have more chances to learn about and their destination and interact with people who live in whatever country they might be going to.

As far as the news creating a dramatic push for travel in either direction, well, I think the news about the economy will have an impact on travel. There are certain segments of the market that will always travel but I think for families who might take a typical one-week vacation to the Caribbean those folks will most likely stay close to home. The good thing about Culebra is people from the U.S. don’t need a passport to travel here since we are a territory. Hopefully that will entice more travelers to think of us as a destination for their vacation.

4 - Your website seems to be popular and was mentioned in islands magazine, many social media connoisseurs want to know what the turning point for your blog was toward its popularity.

I have two websites that I update regularly, MyTropicalEscape and Culebrablog. I originally started MyTropicalEscape to keep friends and family informed of our travels and progress as we attempted to purchase the Palmetto Guesthouse. Over time it has morphed into a space where I write about what interests me and I also try to motivate people to take that “next step” in their life towards whatever it is they dream of doing, e.g. working from home, moving overseas, or traveling.

My other site, Culebrablog, was part of our marketing plan for the business. We have a very small niche of people who travel here and the top keyword is “Culebra.” I don’t really know anything about SEO but within about two weeks I was able to get to the front page of Google for that term.

The readership of MyTropicalEscape has stayed the same for quite some time so there really wasn’t a turning point for popularity. But, there definitely was a return on investment (ROI) turning point, which came about a year after I started both sites. In fact, both Island and Conde Nast magazines discovered, and subsequently wrote about us, via my websites.

5 - Train for Humanity seems to be one of your more prominent projects now, and is already growing with leaps and bounds on social media networks and abroad. How intrinsic to the success and the spreading of its news has social media made itself to you and your project?

We launched Train for Humanity on September 9, 2008 with nothing BUT social media so its intrinsic value is huge. Actually, social media is even stated in our mission, which is:

getting in shape + social media + blogging = social good

In fact, without social media Train for Humanity, whose goal is to utilize everyday athletes (i.e. non-professional athletes) who are in training for various endurance events to help raise awareness and funds for humanitarian crises, would not exist. All of the blogger co-founders live in various corners of the world and we were brought together via our shared passion for helping people, social media, and the Internet.

I am excited and honored to present the interesting information that UNESCO (the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) has declared the Shrine of the Bab on Mount Carmel, one of Israel’s most renowned beauty spots, as a recipient of world heritage status by a UNESCO committee along with its sister shrine near the Old City of Acre.  The gardens were opened in 2001 with Baha’i faithful from around the world witnessing their inauguration.   Establishment of the World Heritage List in 1972 has promoted awareness of the need to both protect and preserve “cultural and natural heritage of outstanding universal value.”

UNESCO is working to create the conditions for genuine dialogue based upon respect for shared values and the dignity of each civilization and culture.

Visitors to this beautiful and scrupulously maintained venue will be struck with the peace and beauty of  19 ascending garden terraces, intricately planted with flowers, topiary, blossoming bushes and lawns and connected with stone staircases, reaching two-thirds of a mile up the side of Mount Carmel. 

Maintaining this architectural and natural wonder for the benefit of all who come to enjoy its offerings is in keeping with the value and philosophy of the Baha’i faith.   Lending greater import at this location is that the sites are the resting places of the founders of the Baha’i faith - the Bab and Bahaullah. (more…)

Igal Hami, President, CEO of Gil Travel has been featured in Travel Weekly regarding Christian tourism to Israel.  Congratulations to Mr. Hami and the rest of the Gil Travel crew!  Hami explains how the Christian market is increasing its demand for travel packages to Israel, and that Gil Travel is already showing some great success in that area!  See Travel Weekly for the full story.

All-in-all, this is really exciting for two cultures separated by continents to connect for a leisure, sight-seeing and history. This is only the beginning; the trip marks the first of many similar groups from China going to not only Israel but several other nations on the Chinese Travel Service’s approved list.

This also heads up a series of airports that link from Tel Aviv and other outgoing routes in Israel. New goals are being set with increased visitors found from both directions. This helps a great deal with GDPs and GNPs alike. It’s also greatly encouraging to see the amount of interest found in Israel, which goes a long way for welcoming visitors entering the country.

1. Beaches for everyone (and every applicable lifestyle)
2. Mediterranean taste and cuisine
3. Scenic vistas and landscapes
4. Historical significance, right outside your doorstep
5. Relative vicinity of Jerusalem and other important landmarks

It is important to note both the cost of living for the demographics and how they seem to join symbiotically to make what Tel Aviv is today. With Jerusalem in such marginal vicinity, this area of the Mediterranean presents a sort of double-whammy to travelers seeking history and the beach. Speaking of beaches, Tel Aviv has a sort of ‘beach areas for everyone’ system. Orthodox-heavy areas will find ‘swim time signs’ for Men and Women and other groups might find their own niche whether they’re there for a view, sun-bath, surf or otherwise.

(image: atlastours)

6. Perfect place for attractions including surfing, water-sports, tours and more
7. A place that’s seen both beauty and strife
8. Music and atmosphere; surpassing time and culture
9. Stellar night-life and clubs
10. The people: symbiotically living in the crossroad of the world

Other than events, a visitor might want to scour the numerous flea markets, restaurants or simply get to talk with the denizens who make this exotic location their everyday lives. You might find their sincere search for peace in their home and abroad, and that this peace is applicable to everyone. Tel Aviv an accumulation of cultures centered in an unforgettable scenes and experiences and definitely shouldn’t be overlooked by any means.

(image credit: n0nick)

What could be better than a Bar Mitzvah surrounded by family, friends and an enlightening d’var Torah? A Bar Mitzvah surrounded by family, friends, an enlightening d’var Torah and the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games! One lucky boy, Isaac Shapiro, got the privilege to travel all the way to China to watch the Olympic Games and celebrate his step into adulthood.

Although his voice was a bit raspy due to cheering at the events, he chanted the maftir and haftarah in a confident voice at the Chabad shul. His d’var Torah reviewed the Ten Commandments and used many humorous sports references. In addition to having his family celebrate this achievement, the shul was also full of complete stranger that made their own way out to Beijing, a great majority from Israel and the United States.

“So many people we have met during our trip to China have told us that what we’re doing is really special,” said Marjie about her family’s idea to plan the celebration during the Olympics.
“Other tourists, especially Jews, were really blown away when we told them about the bar mitzvah. Lots of people said it was the best story they’d heard yet in Beijing.”

Even with all the sports excitement of the Olympic Games, Isaac’s bar mitzvah was truly the highlight of the Shapiro family’s trip.

In 1952, Israel first entered the games, but its Olympic history holds more terrorist attacks than by medals won and sport achievements. The Munich games in 1972, Palestinian terrorists killed eleven coaches and athletes.

Taking Israel’s first gold medal, Israeli President Moshe Katsav and Prime Minister Ariel Sharon invited Fridman for a visit and congratulations.

Though Fridman, his first name, Gal, means “wave” in Hebrew, has been sailing since he was seven years old, entered his first competition when he was eleven and in the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta, won a bronze medal, it was still hard for his family to believe his gold medal, “It’s very, very hard to believe that he succeeded in doing this,” said Uri Fridman, Gal’s father and first coach who watched his son race from his home in central Israel.

(Image credit: andymiah)

But now, in the 2008 Beijing Olympics, can Israel keep hope alive for another historic gold medal? Shahar Tzuberi, Israel’s hopeful, leads the windsurfing competition, finishing first and third in the third and fourth races, respectively.

There are still six more races until the medal race on August 20, and Tzuberi still has some work to do before he can match Gal Fridman’s achievement from the Athens Games.

(Image credit: Boker Tov, Boulder)

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