Malaysia relaxes rules on Israel tours.

Date: 23 January 2013

Malaysia relaxes rules on Israel tours.

PILGRIMAGE tourists to Israel from Malaysia are expected to more than double this year after the latter's government lifted the quota on numbers going to the Holy Land and allowed stays to be extended from 10 to 21 days, last October.

Israeli agent, Benny Binyamin, managing director of RTT Triple S Tours & Travel, said: “We are looking for more partners to work with in Malaysia. Good connections on national carrier El Al, which flies daily from Bangkok to Tel Aviv, will stimulate the market further. Our biggest market from South-east Asia is currently Indonesia.”

Johnson Francis, managing director of Oscar Holidays Malaysia, anticipates a five-fold increase in the number of departures this year, up from the three groups handled last year. He said: “We can now work on fixed departure dates and develop more itineraries.”

World Discovery Travel Malaysia managing director, Inbam Solomon, said seven groups had already been confirmed for scheduled tours combining Jordan and Israel for 1H2013. Last year, the company had 13 groups. Describing the difficulties before, she said travel documents had to be submitted at least three months in advance to the authorities and sometimes approval would only be given two weeks before the departure date.

“We were tense as we also had to confirm with airlines at least three weeks prior to departure… If the quota was filled, we then had to cancel hotel bookings and there was a chance of losing our deposit.”

Ace Altair Travels Malaysia managing director, Anthony Leopold, added: “With the lifting of the quota on the number of pilgrims, we can start advertising our tours and eventually come up with new packages. “These first few months of 2013 will be a trial period to gauge the market and see what clients are looking for.”

By  S Puvaneswary, reporting from ASEAN Tourism Forum

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