Since its inception in 1948, Israel's vast history and immense appeal have been obscured by the region's more publicized unrest. In the recent years alone, the country enveloping both the Mediterranean and the Middle East has reported record tourism levels in 2008 and 2009. Israel has also been featured prominently in Windstar and Crystal Cruises' itineraries, and increased air service has been added by JetBlue and El Al to Tel Aviv.
In January of 2001, the streets of Jerusalem streamed with people enjoying Israel's gentle winter, Tel Aviv's opera season was in full swing, and Eliat's beach season wavered on the horizon. (See the full page here.)
To our delight, nothing has changed. In June of this year El Al began daily service to Eliat, July marked Varsano Luxury Suites' debut and, in August, Tel Aviv's train's station opened up into an entertainment center.
As we celebrate our 80th anniversary, we're taking a look at what was happening in the industry in the past and asking agents to share their thoughts on what has changed in the industry up until the present. So please share your thoughts by posting a comment below, writing us at our Facebook page, sending a tweet to our Twitter page or by engaging in a discussion in real time at AgentNation (the only social community online for all kinds of travel agents, which certainly wasn't around 80 years ago). We want to hear from you.
And while you're here, learn more about how we're celebrating eight decades of covering the travel industry for travel professionals.