Israel Ministry of Tourism

What Israel Ministry of Tourism does

The Israel Ministry of Tourism (משרד התיירות) is a government ministry of the State of Israel, headquartered in Jerusalem and operating since 1964. Its mandate is to promote Israel as an international travel destination across leisure, business, pilgrimage, and cultural tourism segments. The ministry does not sell products or services commercially; it is funded through Israeli government budgetary allocations and does not operate a commercial pricing model.

Its service delivery is built around two primary channels: the official government website on the gov.il portal, which provides tourism information, services, certificates, and government office locations, and the centralized government call center at hotline 1299, which routes inbound tourist and citizen inquiries. The portal also links to a personal-area self-service portal (my.gov.il) for individual account-based government services. These channels function as a digital and telephonic front door rather than a commercial product platform.

The ministry serves two primary customer segments: international tourists seeking authoritative travel information and trip planning resources, and tourism industry partners (travel agencies, tour operators) who require promotional materials and familiarization support to sell Israel as a destination. There is no disclosed technology stack, proprietary platform, AI/ML capability, mobile application, API, or commercial product portfolio in the available data. The organization employs 101-250 staff and operates as a public-sector entity under direct government ownership, with no subsidiaries, no external shareholders, and no funding rounds.

Name

Israel Ministry of Tourism

Legal name

Israel Ministry of Tourism (משרד התיירות)

Website

https://tourism.gov.il

Company type

Private

Founded year

1964

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

The Israel Ministry of Tourism is a Jerusalem-based government ministry, founded in 1964, that promotes Israel as an international travel destination. It serves global tourists and tourism industry partners through the gov.il portal and centralized hotline 1299.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

National Tourism Promotion

NAICS

Convention and Visitors Bureaus (561591)

SIC

Foreign Governments (8888), International Affairs (9721)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYTHAKAHAC

Jewish Heritage & Israel Pilgrimage Travel Agencies

Travel & Hospitality/Travel Agencies, Tour Operators & OTAs/Religious & Pilgrimage Travel Agencies

SECONDARYTHAKAHAB

Christian Pilgrimage & Holy Land Tour Operators

Travel & Hospitality/Travel Agencies, Tour Operators & OTAs/Religious & Pilgrimage Travel Agencies

Keywords

• Destination marketing
• Tourism promotion
• Travel information services
• National tourism development
• Government tourism services

Headquarters

HQ city

Jerusalem

HQ country

Israel

HQ region

Middle East

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Infrastructure

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels2 records

Core offering

The Israel Ministry of Tourism is a government ministry that promotes Israel as an international travel destination by providing authoritative travel information, tourism marketing, and visitor guidance. It operates an informational government website and a centralized call center that deliver tourism-related information, visa and travel requirement resources, and promotional content for international tourists and tourism industry partners.

Product overview

The Israel Ministry of Tourism operates a government website (gov.il) that serves as an informational portal providing general information about tourism services, government services, certificates and passports, government offices, customer reception, and a central government call center (1299). The website functions as a digital front-door for citizens seeking tourism-related government services and information, rather than offering a commercial product portfolio or technology platform.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• National Tourism Promotion and Destination Marketing Government-led destination marketing service that promotes Israel internationally for leisure, business, pilgrimage, and cultural tourism, providing authoritative information about attractions and travel opportunities to international tourists and tourism industry partners.
• Tourist Information Call Center (1299) Centralized government hotline that provides tourist information and support services to international visitors and tourism industry partners, including human-assisted chat support via Mygovchat.
• Travel Information Portal (gov.il) Official government informational portal providing services, certificates, passport information, government office locations, customer reception details, and tourism-related resources to citizens and international visitors.

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Recent moves3 records

Expansion highlights1 record

Direct peers

• Brand USA: USA's national destination marketing organization charged with promoting international travel to the United States. Functions as the closest direct peer in terms of public-private destination promotion and inbound tourism focus.
• Tourism Australia: Australian government-backed national tourism marketing organization responsible for promoting Australia as a destination globally. Highly comparable in mandate, funding model, and channel mix (digital, industry partnerships, international offices) to the Israel Ministry of Tourism.
• Greek National Tourism Organization (GNTO / EOT): Greek government body promoting Greece's cultural, religious, and leisure tourism internationally. Shares heritage-tourism positioning and Mediterranean destination competition with Israel.
• India Ministry of Tourism: Government ministry promoting inbound tourism to India, including heritage, pilgrimage, and cultural tourism. The closest structural analog given the focus on religious pilgrimage (multiple faiths) and heritage destinations.
• Japan National Tourism Organization (JNTO): Government-affiliated body that promotes Japan internationally through destination marketing, travel-trade support, and visitor information services. Directly analogous mandate and operating model to the Israel Ministry of Tourism.
• Tourism New Zealand: Crown entity tasked with marketing New Zealand as a destination. Directly comparable as a state-backed tourism marketer with global campaigns and trade-enablement programs.
• VisitBritain: UK government tourism agency promoting Britain to international visitors through marketing, trade partnerships, and destination information. Comparable as a state-funded destination marketer with similar global B2B and B2C activities.
• Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT): Thai government agency responsible for marketing Thailand internationally, including religious and cultural tourism segments. Comparable operating model and scale of promotional activity.
• Visit Dubai (Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing): Government authority promoting Dubai as a destination across leisure, business, and cultural tourism. Comparable in scale, mandate, and government-backed marketing model, particularly relevant given Gulf-region normalization dynamics.
• Turespaña (Spain Tourism Board): Spanish government entity under the Ministry of Industry, Trade and Tourism that promotes Spain internationally. Operates a near-identical model of international offices, trade partnerships, and content marketing for a heritage-rich destination.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/israelgov
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/israel-ministry-of-tourism

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Israel Ministry of Tourism