ISRAELI HOTELS TO SUFFER LOSES OF $125M DUE TO GAZA INVASION

Tel Aviv, 24 Ramadhan 1435/22 July 2014 (MINA) – Israeli hotels and resorts have experienced a wave of cancellations for the second week in row amid the escalating Israeli military operation in the Gaza Strip, Israeli newspaper Haaretz reported yesterday.

The newspaper reported that the Israeli Ministry of Tourism said that this year was set to see a peak in foreign and domestic tourism in Israeli cities and resorts, but the Israeli military operation in Gaza ruined all expectations. Some of those who cancelled their holidays were summoned by the army to take part in the war on Gaza, according to Haaretz.

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Hotels are expected to lose $99 million from foreign visitors who have cancelled their planned trips into the country and a further $24.9 million from Israeli visitors, Middle East Monitor (MEMO) quoted by Mi’raj Islamic News Agency (MINA) as reporting Tuesday.

Israel has continued its operation on Gaza for two weeks. The Israeli assault has resulted in the death of 508 Palestinians and the injury of 3,150. According to the Israeli army, 13 Israeli soldiers were killed and 101 were injured.

A week earlier, Yedioth Ahronoth revealed that thousands of flights to Israel were cancelled and thousands of tourists who had been spending their summer vacations in Israel fled the country due to the deteriorating security situation.

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More than 30,000 tourists have pushed forward their departure flights in fear that the escalation of the war could lead to the closure of the Ben Gurion International Airport.

Approximately 3.5 million tourists visited Israel in 2013, according to the Israeli Central Bureau for Statistics.

(T/P01/E01).

Mi’raj Islamic News Agency (MINA)