Dead Sea Fun

Vote for How the Dead Sea Should be Renovated

Israel's Tourism Ministry has launched an online ballot where the public can vote on what shape the NIS 833 million renovation of the Dead Sea will take in the coming years.

Here's a wonderful opportunity to voice your preference on this important project. Please click here to vote for one of three options (the options are described more fully in the Jerusalem Post article):

• Desert Scenery (נוף מדברי) - new hotels would be built to blend in with the natural surroundings, and would highlight the desert landscapes of the Jordan Valley;
• "On the Water Getaway" (נופש על פני המים) - new hotels would jut out into the Dead Sea and would emphasize water activities and spa treatments;
• Commercial and Recreational Vacation (מסחר ופנאי) - emphasis would be on the construction of retail outlets and recreational facilities.

Learn Hebrew Phrases - Hotel Check-In

Add some fun to your next Dead Sea vacation: check-in in Hebrew!

Exploring the Jordan River

Other rivers have more beauty. Many are longer. Most are cleaner. But none has garnered as much affection as the Jordan River.

Even the Nile River Valley - although it flows deeper, wider, and longer without tributary or raindrop to feed it - fails to match the depth of the Jordan Rift Valley. The Jordan Valley cuts the deepest ditch on the planet, ultimately draining into the Dead Sea, the lowest spot on earth. The ancient Egyptians worshiped the Nile as a god, but the Jordan surpasses it in spiritual influence and sanctity. Just looking at it, though, you'd never have imagined why.

Read the full article at JerusalemPost.com

Green Groups Dissatisfied with Dead Sea Budgets

After the cabinet unanimously approved a five-year, NIS 830 million budget for Dead Sea environmental protection and tourism on Sunday, green groups were not wholly satisfied with the decision.

"Only the comprehensive bill to restore the Dead Sea will provide a real solution to the worsening condition of the Dead Sea," said Amit Bracha, executive director of Adam Teva V'Din (Israel Union for Environmental Defense).

"Without the approval and implementation of this bill, it will be impossible to rehabilitate the Dead Sea and safeguard it for future generations - not by means of the amount of money the government approved [on Sunday], which is intended primarily for tourism purposes," Bracha said.

Read the full article at JerusalemPost.com

Update 8th January - Dead Sea Petition Reaches 15,000 Signatures JerusalemPost.com

Israeli Cabinet Okays NIS 830m for Dead Sea Tourism, Environment

Some NIS 830 million will be allocated toward developing tourism facilities at the Dead Sea, and repairing environmental damage caused in the area over the years, the cabinet decided on Sunday.

The funds earmarked for these purposes, as part of a proposal initiated by Tourism Minister Stas Misezhnikov and Environmental Protection Minister Gilad Erdan, will be allocated over the next five years.

For its part, the Tourism Ministry will invest NIS 700 million in development schemes, of which NIS 434 million will be dispersed as grants to finance various initiatives, with the aim being the addition of 2,700 hotel rooms to the Dead Sea area.

Read the full article at Haaretz.com

Side Trip to Mitzpeh Ramon

Between the geology and beauty of the Ramon Crater, the historical significance of the ancient trade route and the proximity to the Red Sea resort town of Eilat, Mitzpeh Ramon appears to have a lot of unfulfilled tourism potential, an impression confirmed by several tourism experts.

Explore Israel's Grand Canyon and the sleepy desert town of Mitzpeh Ramon. Check out the elegant Isrotel Beresheet Hotel.

Read the full article at Haaretz.com