Israel Tourism Ministry Sets Record Straight
According to the Jerusalem Post and contacts in the Association for Civil Rights in Israel, neither organization had anything to do with the recent uproar regarding an ad campaign designed to encourage gay travelers to visit the Holy Land.
The Tourism Ministry released a statement Tuesday announcing that Israel isn’t seeking out gay travelers over other potential visitors - not, of course, that there’s anything wrong with that.
“The Tourism Ministry regards all segments of the population as equals, and therefore each group… receives the same treatment,” the press release said.
The release followed the publication Tuesday of a nearly two-page spread in Yediot Aharonot outlining efforts by the ministry to promote gay and lesbian tourism to Israel - a spread promoted on the newspaper’s front page with a large color photo and a magenta headline about the government’s campaign for a “Pink Jerusalem.”
The photos accompanying the spread are all a year and a half old, the ministry’s statement noted, and were taken as part of a previous campaign co-funded and initiated by the Tel Aviv Hotel Association. The ministry has “no connection” to the campaign described in the article, officials said, noting that none of the articles quoted a ministry representative.
June 12th, 2007 at 9:53 pm
I”m very interesting by traveling in Israel, i would like to visit this beautifull country this summer but i don”t know what is better, travel in group, with hotel & bus or if it”s possible (and that”s what i”d prefer) sleeping at home on israelly familly or gay friends.Does gay association exist in Israel wich could help me? ‘i”m french and my english is really poor)