It’s normal to see a few Chinese tour groups in airports or other tourist locations, but when we found out the Chinese Travel Service setting up this trip, we had to check it out. We found out, as anyone traveling to a foreign country, that this tour group had many questions about what kind of preparations they should make for their trip to Israel. They wanted to be in compliance with the culture they’re not used to and be respectful for the local’s and their own sake. Will all the shops be closed on the day of rest? Are there Chinese restaurants in Israel? Where can we buy a menorah? Should we not bring any snacks with pork?
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.