After a 15-month hiatus, the Ministry of Tourism is once again hosting foreign journalists and editors, covering the world’s first pride event since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic. The delegation includes lifestyle and tourism journalists and editors from Italy, the Netherlands, Germany, and Austria, some of whom specialize in LGBTQ coverage.
After a short welcome reception at the airport, the guest journalists arrived at their hotel in Tel Aviv but had to stay in until they got their serology test results, as required by the Israeli government.
They started their tour of Israel on Thursday with a guided tour called Pink Milestones – visiting important landmarks in the history of the LGBTQ community in Tel Aviv. Later in the afternoon, they met with representatives of the community to discuss community life and Pride tourism in Israel. In attendance were also representatives of the Ministry of Tourism and Tel Aviv Municipality.
Today (Friday), the delegation participates in the traditional Pride Parade in Tel Aviv, with more than 100,000 people taking to the streets to celebrate. Pride Parade 2021 is one of the first mass gatherings in Israel since the outbreak of corona. The Ministry of Tourism touts it worldwide as one of the premier attractions for LGBTQ tourists, thanks to a strong Israeli LGBTQ culture and Israel’s successful return to normalcy, now that more than 63% are fully vaccinated.
After Pride events, the delegation will visit some of the tourist attractions in Jerusalem, including the Western Wall, the Christian and Jewish Quarters in the Old City, and Ein Kerem. The journalists’ last day in Israel will be spent on a special tour of the Neve Tzedek area and Jaffa port, ending with a Florentin graffiti and street art tour.
