Israel Tourism Booms With Gulf War in Past

After Gulf War-ravaged 1991--one of the worst years for tourism to Israel since figures were first compiled in 1950--this year appears to be shaping up as the best ever. In April alone, Israel hosted an estimated 170,000 tourists, 100,000 more than in the same month last year. Officials characterize this as a clear sign that tourists have put fears of war and the Palestinian uprising behind them.

Historically, tourism to Israel peaked in 1987 before the uprising among Palestinian Arabs against Israel authority in the occupied West Bank and Gaza Strip began at the end of the year. At its 1987 peak, 1.5 million visitors, including 415,000 Americans, visited the country. Preliminary stats suggest that this year’s influx of visitors may top the 1987 total. In the first two months of 1992, 184,751 tourists visited Israel, compared with 36,865 for the same period in 1991. To fuel the trend, the Israel Ministry of Tourism this month is launching a $4-million advertising campaign targeting Los Angeles and New York. In Los Angeles, the campaign will be a combination of radio spots and billboards promoting Israel as an inviting, English-speaking vacation destination.

Travel Quiz: What San Francisco hotel staircase was used in the Alfred Hitchcock movie “Vertigo”?

FTC Charges Firm With Deceptive Marketing: The Federal Trade Commission has charged several Daytona Beach, Fla., firms with deceptively marketing travel packages to consumers nationwide through a network of telephone salesrooms, and with helping telemarketers deceive consumers. According to the FTC, consumers were mailed postcards telling them they had won a vacation to Florida or the Bahamas. To take the trip, however, a consumer had to purchase a package containing a travel certificate from one of the firms, Passport Internationale, Inc.; spend a substantial amount of money beyond the cost of the package, and comply with numerous conditions and restrictions not disclosed by the defendants or their client telemarketers, according to the FTC. The complaint was filed against Passport Internationale and various other names under which the Florida firm has done business, including Passport International Express, Inc., Passport Premium Plus, Inc., Passport Express, Passport Travel Club, Passport Savings Express, Passport Travel Promotions and Gemini International.

Consumers interested in further information can obtain a free copy of the FTC’s consumer alert, “Telemarketing Travel Fraud,” by writing the FTC’s Public Reference Branch, Room 130, 6th Street and Pennsylvania Ave., N.W., Washington, D.C. 20580.

Doing the Wave: A new shuttle bus service in Monterey--designed to cut down on traffic congestion and air pollution--will begin operation on the Memorial Day weekend (May 22) and run through Labor Day (Sept. 7), carrying passengers between downtown hotels and parking areas and waterfront attractions. The Waterfront Area Visitor Express buses (nicknamed The WAVE) will be decorated with big blue waves, making them easy for tourists to spot, and will stop at parking garages, downtown hotels and major visitor destinations, including Fisherman’s Wharf, Monterey State Historic Park, Cannery Row and the Monterey Bay Aquarium. Some will have racks for carrying bicycles. Cost of a ticket good for one day will be 50 cents.

To Rendezvous, Reserve: Travelers to the Canadian Yukon for Rendezvous ‘92, the 50th anniversary of the building of the Alaska Highway, are being advised by the U.S. State Department to book hotels and motels early, especially if travel is to occur during the peak month of July. If at all possible, the department advises planning visits out of peak season, either in late May or early September, when limited facilities are available. And while car repair services are generally adequate, they may be somewhat limited outside large communities, with gas stations spaced an average of 60 miles apart.

Quick Fact: Least crowded days at Disneyland and Walt Disney World: weekdays in October and February at Disneyland and most weekends at Disney World (probably attributable to the Florida park’s high rate of out-of-state visitors, who leave for home on the weekends, Disney officials believe).

Seoul Music: The newest entertainment fad in Seoul, South Korea, has four wheels, a special sound system and a microphone. And if it looks strikingly like a taxi, that’s because it is--a karaoke cab, to be exact. The taxis--patterned after the popular karaoke bars in which patrons get up and lip sync or croon along with recorded music--are equipped with special sound systems, a recording that provides the musical accompaniment and a microphone for the customer to fill in the vocal part. Some drivers charge $1.30 per song, while others get up to $6.50 from passengers and allow them to sing as many songs as they want while they’re in the cab. It is not known how many karaoke taxis there are among the 23,000 commercial cabs in Seoul. One official estimated the number at 100, but said it is growing.

Comparatively Speaking: Cost of a weekend for two (including overnight hotel stay, two dinners with wine, a taxi ride, car rental or taxi and other public transportation and smaller items such as camera film and telephone calls): in London, $630; in Madrid, $620; in Tokyo, $600; in Milan, $580; in New York, $510; in Paris, $470; in Montreal, $360; in Cairo, $210. (Source: Union Bank of Switzerland.)

Fair Warning: Floats, bands, a parade and a Mexican rodeo featuring a women’s trick-riding team will be part of the 52nd annual La Fiesta in San Luis Obispo May 13-17. The weeklong festival pays tribute to a time when the city was one of 21 small mission towns built by Spanish priests along the California coast. Also scheduled are a mariachi concert, Mexican folk dancers and an enchilada dinner served inside the historic San Luis Obispo Mission. For more information, call the San Luis Obispo Chamber of Commerce at (805) 781-2777.

Quiz Answer: The York Hotel at 940 Sutter St., which coincidentally is hosting two “Murder Mystery Nights”--next Saturday, May 9, and June 20--for $110 per person, including dinner, lodging and clues to solving the mystery of the night.