Your tour guide today will be...Benjamin Netanyahu

Sunday, June 23, 2013 |  Yossi Aloni  

Israel Today

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Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has agreed to play tour guide in a major televised tourism program under the direction of journalist and producer Peter Greenberg, known internationally for his "The Royal Tour" tourism programs on PBS and the Travel Channel.

Greenberg has put together a series of programs where he accompanies a head of state in a "guidebook" tour of his or her country. He has already filmed episodes with the king of Jordan, the presidents of Mexico and Peru, and the prime minister of New Zealand.

Filming began a year ago, but was halted for a time after Netanyahu suffered a light injury during a friendly soccer game between local Jewish and Arab teams. Filming and photography for the episode is expected to wrap next month.

The program gave Netanyahu an opportunity to present the bright side of the State of Israel to an estimated 300 million viewers around the world. Israel views the program as an important public relations and economic effort, as previous installments of the program resulted in up to a 10 percent increase in tourism for the host nation.

The goal is "to boost tourism to Israel and change country's image," said Netanyahu during the first day of shooting last year. "We will visit...Masada, the Dead Sea, the Technion, Jerusalem, Tel Aviv - all to show the true Israel, the Israel most don't get to see."

Greenberg added that "as more people see what this country has to offer, they will come. ...It is an opportunity to present [the land] through Israel's eyes."

Netanyahu Invites TV Viewers to 'Experience Israel'

CBNNews.com

JERUSALEM, Israel -- Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is taking time out of his busy schedule to star in a major television production by travel journalist and producer Peter Greenberg, the Prime Minister's Office said on Friday.


Greenberg, who's produced many international travel shows for PBS and the Travel Channel, is returning to Israel next week to finish shooting the segment he began last year.


According to the PMO's office, Greenberg and his 35-member crew expect to wind up filming here sometime next month.


Last year, Netanyahu said the goal of the project is to draw more visitors by showing "the other Israel" so people can see "this is a fun country."


"I am calling this project B'shvil Yisrael in order to raise up tourism even higher and to change the image," he said on the first day of filming at Rosh Hanikra last year.


"We are at Rosh Hanikra. We will be at Masada, the Dead Sea, the Technion, Jerusalem and Tel Aviv in order to show the true Israel, the other Israel that is not seen," he continued.


"Peter Greenberg has boosted tourism in Mexico, New Zealand and Jordan and this is the goal -- to raise up tourism for Israel as well, for people to see that this is a fun country," Netanyahu said.


Israel hosted 3,520,000 visitors in 2012, bringing an estimated $36 billion in revenue to the tourism sector. The goal is to draw another 200,000 visitors this year, which would add about $1 billion.


Tourism Minister MK Uzi Landau said he hopes visitors experience Israel's beauty and are inspired by its rich history.


"We welcome Mr. Greenberg's return to Israel and remember, first and foremost, that he is a tourist," Landau said. "We will continue to work to increase the number of tourists who come to Israel every year to experience its beauty, become acquainted with its rich history and to be inspired by it."


CBN.com Israel News website story


(Artwork below added by Steve Martin,

Blog Editor of Love For His People, Inc.)