Israel, Bahrain Sign Tourism Agreement

Israel and Bahrain signed a memorandum of understanding to promote tourism to both countries. The agreement was signed Wednesday at a ceremony in Jerusalem by Israel’s Minister of Tourism Orit Farkash-Hacohen and by Bahrain’s Minister of Industry, Commerce and Tourism Zayed Alzayani, who arrived in Israel on Tuesday with a delegation of 40 businesspeople for a three-day visit. The agreement, the first of its kind between Israel and an Arab state in the Gulf according to the tourism ministry, calls for bilateral cooperation between the governments and the private sector in the field of tourism, and calls for the development of programs for different groups of travelers including families, wellness, and business. The agreement also provides for the development of regional tourism in which tourists from other countries can purchase travel packages to visit both countries. “Governments sign treaties, but people create peace. This is why signing a bilateral tourism MOU is so important. We are encouraging travel between our countries. We are encouraging people to meet and interact with each other. We are connecting two cultures. By doing so, we are encouraging true and lasting peace,” Farkash-Hacohen said during the ceremony. Alzayani said that Bahrain would be “a true partner, a genuine investor and a frank friend. We feel there is a real opportunity to develop tourism between our two countries, and beyond.”