Israel, Egypt, Jordan and the Palestinian Authority just met altogether to discuss putting in place a joint tourism program they call "The Pillars of Civilization Tour".

Meeting in the Red Sea resort of Hurghada were Israeli Tourism Minister Avraham Hirchson (who initiated the idea of the multilateral conference three months ago), Egyptian Tourism Minister Ahmed el-Maghraby, the PA's Zyad Bandak and Jordan's Aliaa Bouran

According to the article published in today's Jerusalem Post, "one of [the proposals] is to target tourists from the Americas, the Far East and India who are unwilling to make the long-haul flight to visit just one destination but may be persuaded by a package holiday to all four, a trip that [Israeli Minister of Tourism Avraham] Hirchson has called "The Pillars of Civilization Tour."

"For the first time in history, you can visit all of our glorious sites in one visit, with one ticket, at one low price. Discover the magic of our cultures, out people, our histories, our hospitality," says a Tourism Ministry prospectus.

"The ministers also want to simplify the process of border crossings [.... and] all the sides believe their efforts can help advance regional peace and economic growth.

"Tourism is a booster for peace and you can see it from this meeting," said [the PA's Zyad] Bandak."

"Once we start marketing together we will show the world that this is a peaceful region," said Rami Levi, the director- general of the Marketing Administration in Israel's Tourism Ministry."

Go to: Jerusalem Post Article to read the entire article.

I hope this will encourage everyone to come on over here and visit us (all) in this exciting, though complex and often frustrating part of the world!

suzanne