Marketing Efforts to Focus on the Holy Sites in Israel
NEW YORK, June 15 /
Christian Newswire/ -- Recently appointed Minister of Tourism, Stas Misezhnikov, plans to shift the direction of the marketing of Israel by concentrating on Israel's unique tourism offering--the Holy Sites. In light of Pope Benedict XVI's recent visit to Israel, Misezhnikov plans to actively target the Catholic market, as well as the Evangelical market around the world.
"What Israel needs to do is focus on what it has that others don't have, or in other words: the Holy Land," said Tourism Minister Stas Misezhnikov. "Israel is holy to Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, and the focus of the tourism ministry today is to promote Israel as such."
Misezhnikov has expressed that there are hundreds of millions of Evangelical Christians around the world who only need to be encouraged in order to visit Israel. Currently in North and South America, the Israel Ministry of Tourism is using the "Visit Israel – You'll Never Be the Same" advertising campaign to reach the Evangelical and Catholic markets, speaking to the spiritual transformation that takes place when one visits Israel.
"The Holy Land--and at its center, Jerusalem--is the best tourist attraction we have; no competition," said Misezhnikov.
Misezhnikov was born in Moscow, in the former Soviet Union, in 1969 and immigrated to Israel in 1982. He received a B.A. in Social and Political Sciences from Tel Aviv University (1992) and a M.A. in Business Administration and Marketing from Tel Aviv University (2000). Misezhnikov served as a Parliamentary aide in the Knesset (1997-1999), as Marketing Manager of Clalit Health Services (1999-2006), and as a member of the Rishon Letizon Local Council (2003-2006).
In 2006, Misezhnikov was elected to the Knesset, where he served as a member of the Knesset Finance, Economic Affairs, and Foreign Workers Committees, also acting as the Chairman of the Finance Committee. In March of 2009, he was appointed Minster of Tourism. He is married with three children.
With its central office in Jerusalem, Israel, the Israel Ministry of Tourism leads the State of Israel's efforts at maintaining a strong tourism industry. The Ministry of Tourism promotes tourism to Israel via its Israel Government Tourist Offices in Europe, Asia, and the Americas.
