A Year of Challenges, an Evening of Leadership: Passport Group and Israel’s Tourism & Aviation Leaders Close 2025 at Hilton Tel Aviv

Passport Group concludes a landmark year, marking 30 years of innovation, influence and industry leadership, while unveiling a forward-looking strategic vision to continue shaping the future of tourism and aviation with a strong focus on digital transformation, content-driven travel, and the clear sense that the first three decades were only the beginning. The year-end celebration brought together key leaders and senior executives from the tourism industry, in partnership with Hilton worldwide

PassportNews
published 26.12.25 | 09:47 | Updated 27.12.25 | 15:36

Photo: Chen Galili

Passport Group Wraps Up a Successful Year.

Last Thursday (25.12.25), Passport Group concluded the year 2025 and welcomed the new calendar year with a festive toast held at the Hilton Tel Aviv Hotel.

Leading figures from the tourism and aviation industries, along with senior officials from the Ministry of Tourism, led by Michael Izhakov, Director General of the Ministry of Tourism, attended the event, airline executives, hoteliers, content creators, and strategic partners attended the special evening organized in collaboration with Hilton Worldwide. All came to celebrate three decades of achievements, innovation, and influence by Passport Group on the tourism industry in Israel.

Following tradition, Passport Group took a moment to honor senior figures completing their roles after leaving a significant mark on the industry.

From right: Doron, Yitzhakov, Shevi, Azoulay, and Cotler

The highlight of the evening was the farewell to Dina Ben Tal Ganacia, the outgoing CEO of El-Al, who will conclude her term at the end of the month. Over her successful four-year tenure, Ben Tal Gennasia led the airline to some of its best operational and business years, with many in the aviation sector considering her as the top contender for the title of best CEO in El-Al's history. Notably, Ben Tal is also the first woman to hold this highly esteemed and complex senior position in Israel's business sector.

Additionally, Passport Group also bid farewell and paid tribute to Hani Sobel, who completes her role as CEO of the Diesenhaus Group after six years, during which she led the company to significant achievements and strengthened its position as an excellent tourism company both locally and internationally.

Vision, Digitization, and International Breakthrough

Adi Azoulay, Chair and Owner of Passport Group, delivered a speech highlighting the impressive growth of the group in recent years. Azoulay stated the sharp increase in the group's digital activities now includes four leading content sites in Israel, primarily PassportNews.co.il, boasting over two million monthly visits last year.

Azoulay also emphasized the group's expanding international activities, focusing on establishing a dedicated site to promote Israel as a tourist destination abroad, under the new strategic premium domain IsraelTourism.com. This initiative aims at promoting Israel worldwide in English and will be marketed in several key source countries globally. According to Azoulay, this is a long-term move connecting content, tourism, national branding, and advanced digital systems, including AI utilization developed through a special system recently by Passport Group.

Additionally, Azoulay discussed new ventures the group has expanded into: investing in quality human capital, entering innovative categories such as space, culinary, automotive, spa, and medical tourism, and deepening content and media activities as the basis for real influence on the industry. He also acknowledged the challenges faced by the tourism sector in the current period but stressed its resilience and ability to innovate, reinvent, and keep moving forward even through complicated times.

From right: Hodorov, Gal, and Amsalem

Have you got it yet? The new Passport Group trolley for your next flight

Content Strategy and Audience Expansion

Efrat Doron, CEO of Passport Group, presented the strategy leading the group in expanding their target audiences and deepening content, with a clear aim to provide every reader with relevant, quality, and inspiring content on Passport's platforms.

Since last September, new sections have been launched and expanded, including a Spa section with unique treatment reviews, sections on Thailand and Miami, and a space segment that gained significant momentum, even featuring participation in a space medicine conference at Ichilov Hospital. Additionally, Doron mentioned that sections on Vietnam and Germany are currently under development, with the Germany section being made in collaboration with the German Tourism Board.

Doron also highlighted the close and strategic collaboration with the Israeli Ministry of Tourism stemming from a clear ideological vision to strengthen domestic tourism, a sector severely impacted by war. According to her, Passport plays a central role in creating exposure, interest, and quality content that drives internal movement and contributes to the industry's recovery while looking forward to inbound tourism as a key growth engine for the coming years.

Michael Izhakov - Director General of the Ministry of Tourism, delivered the opening speech of the event, discussing the national resilience of Israel and the tourism industry in particular. He emphasized the ministry's support alongside industry professionals and broad support for the industry, alongside future campaign planning focused on tourism from North America.

Michael Yitzhakov Photo: Chen Galili

Pazit Shabi, Director of Sales at Hilton Hotels Worldwide, addressed the expansion of the Hilton Group in the country and worldwide, noting that the Hilton Tel Aviv Hotel, where the event took place, celebrates 60 years of operation this year, adding a symbolic and prestigious touch to the evening.

The event was hosted by Amit Cotler, Senior Editor at Passport Group, who wished the attendees a year of normalcy and tranquility: "A year of renewed tourism and aviation drive, success for hotels facing two of the toughest years, and much prosperity for travel agents and attractions."

Passport Group's end-of-year event reflected not just the conclusion of a challenging year but also sent a clear message: continue leading the tourism and aviation industry with innovation, digitization, connecting content with tourism, and a sense that the first three decades were just the beginning.

At the end of the evening, Passport Group presented each participant with a trolley specially designed to mark the group's 30th anniversary celebration, branded across all Passport Group channels. The trolley, soon to be sold in PassportNews channels at a special price for the 30th-anniversary celebration, was designed and branded by the senior advertiser Uri Ovrutzki who accompanied the branding process in recent months.