The project, which will be implemented by the Israel Government Tourism Corporation during 2024-2025, is part of the Ministry’s policy for the development of sustainable tourism.
Tourist sites throughout the country will be made accessible for a wide range of disabilities, including physical, cognitive and sensory (hearing and sight).
Speaking on this, Israel Minister of Tourism Haim Katz said: “We attach great importance to the accessibility of tourist sites to the general public and work to improve the tourist experience for the domestic and international visitor, so that they can enjoy the wide range of tourist sites available throughout the country, without restrictions and with maximum comfort.”
“The budget that we are allocating to the local authorities will help make accessible dozens of sites, be they nature reserves, heritage, religion or history sites, museums and more,” he added.
Israel Government Tourism Corporation CEO Elad Erenfeld said: “Making tourist sites accessible to people with disabilities is a national project whose goal is to ensure the equal participation of this public in Israeli society.”
“This is one of the most important and exciting decisions that the Ministry of Tourism has made. The Israel Government Tourism Corporation which I lead will give priority to this important issue, while at the same time we will continue to work on developing tourist sites and infrastructure throughout Israel,” added Erenfeld.
The Israel Ministry of Tourism has invited each of the local authorities with relevant projects to submit up to two applications for assistance in financing the accessibility of the sites in their area.
In addition, the authorities will be able to receive assistance from an accessibility consultant on behalf of the ministry, who will assist in preparing the applications, determining the accessibility components and formulating a cost estimate.
