Tourism Ministry plans to bail out hotels

The fund will be jointly run by the ministry and the Israel Hotel Association.

Among the fund's stated goals are:

*Production of marketing publications in printed and digital format for the tourist industry.

*Partial funding for fairs, conventions, meetings, seminars, and workshops for the industry.

*Funding for advertising encouraging tourism to and within Israel.

*Funding for independent television, press, poster and billboard and other advertising methods.

*Invitations to decision-makers and other professionals in the religious sector for "get-acquainted" junkets and tours around the country.

The ministry will cover 50 percent of the outlay for prearranged marketing campaigns, the statement said.

The funding will be capped at $40,000 per hotel in the coming year, Altman said.

In a separate development, the Central Bureau of Statistics announced recently that during the summer months, nthe number of person-nights in Israeli hotels declined 18 percent, to 3.8 million.