KOSHER FOOD FOR KOSHER TOURISTS

According to a report in this week’s Kosher Today, more and more tourists are demanding kosher food. No more eating veggies and fruits and canned tuna when you are on the road.

More Kosher Tourists Take in the Sites Worldwide
(Jerusalem) The demand for kosher food by tourists in Europe, Asia, and America is on the rise, according to travel sources. Kosher tourists from Israel, the U.S. and elsewhere are searching for kosher venues in tourist locations all over the world. According to a report in the Israeli press, kosher travel abroad by Israelis is once again on the increase. Nachman Kaidar, CEO of Gesher Tours, said the kosher travel market out of Israel had a slow year last year due to the disengagement from Gaza, but it was expected to surpass even previous “regular” years in 2006. Gesher reported that approximately 100,000 religious Israelis travel abroad each year. U.S. sources estimated that a similar number of kosher tourists are from America, but many of the kosher tourists visit such U.S. destinations as Orlando and Las Vegas. Meanwhile, tourism to Israel grew 26% in the first four months of the year, compared to the same period in 2005, as the country welcomed 674,900 foreign visitors during the period. The Central Bureau of Statistics and the Tourism Ministry reported that 563,300 of the tourists arrived by air, a rise of 21% from last year, while land border crossings grew 63% to 109,800 and sea arrivals increased 10% to 1,100 tourists. Of the air arrivals, 33,700 tourists flew directly to Eilat, some 30% more than last year. For the peak tourist month of April which included Passover, 209,900 foreign tourists arrived in Israel, representing a growth of 29% over April 2005.