The government has approved a 150 million shekel ($48 million) aid package for Israel's tourism industry.
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The measure, pushed through earlier this week, includes compensation for tour guides and incoming travel agencies, who have been hit hard by the government-imposed restrictions on air travel that have all but closed Israel's skies following the outbreak of the Omicron variant.
According to financial daily Globes, the aid package, presented to the cabinet on Sunday by Finance Minister Avigdor Lieberman and Tourism Minister Yoel Razvozov, is part of the cabinet decision to provide NIS 300 million in annual aid to industries harmed by the coronavirus pandemic.
The plan states that NIS 25 million ($8 million) will be allocated for tours for the public. In addition, tour guides and others in the tourism industry functionaries will be eligible for NIS 10,000 scholarships for government retraining programs.
Incoming travel agencies will also be eligible for government grants, depending on their scope of business, the report said.
The Tourism Ministry will earmark another NIS 30 million to a marketing fund for incoming tourist agencies, to be spent on advertising campaigns between March 2022 and April 2023 with the aim of promoting post-COVID-19 era tourism.
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