Canadian travellers may get sticker shock when they look at tours priced in U.S. dollars, but despite our own anemic dollar, tourism to Israel remains surprisingly strong, tour operators say.
With the Canadian dollar hovering around 70 cents and not expected to bounce back any time soon, Israel trips, generally priced in U.S. dollars have become considerably more expensive.
But despite the additional costs, bookings for the summer of 2016 “look fantastic,” said Ehud Telem, president and CEO of Peerless Travel Group, which takes between 9,000 and 10,000 people to Israel annually.
Bookings are down slightly right now, but it’s driven by concerns about the security situation in Israel more than the weak dollar, Telem said.
Youth movements, which run numerous trips for teenagers in the summer, also say the number of young people going on Israel trips this summer has remained stable, despite the fact that trips priced in U.S. dollars cost more for Canadian parents.
“Those people who grow up in Bnei Akiva, even though it may be financially difficult, they prioritize it,” said Jonny Lipczer, director of Bnei Akiva Toronto, a religious Zionist youth movement.
So far, 20 Canadian teens have signed up for the summer trip, slightly more than last year, which will cost $7,300 (US).
Because applications for subsidies are handled confidentially, Lipczer did not know if more families were seeking scholarships, but he has helped families find cheaper flights.
Camp Ramah, part of the Conservative movement, is offering a $1,000 (US) discount to Canadians to bring down the cost of their summer Israel trip, which is $9,580 (US).
A discount of $1,500 was offered to Canadians who enrolled in the movement’s high school semester in Israel, said registrar Judy Greene. So far, the same number of Canadians have signed up for the Israel trip as in previous years.
The low Canadian dollar is actually boosting attendance for NCSY trips, which are the cheapest Israel youth trips available, said Rabbi Leib Irons, director of education for NCSY Canada, the modern Orthodox youth movement. Families who were considering more expensive trips are now looking at NCSY’s heavily subsidized trips, the least expensive of which cost about $3,500 (US).
About 200 Canadian youths are expected to go to Israel this summer, an increase from previous years, Rabbi Irons said.
Discounts were offered to students who signed up early or who attend Torah High, the after-school educational program.
“We have many, many private donors who subsidize it,” Rabbi Irons said. Because the program requires teens to attend educational sessions before and after the trip, donors feel it’s a productive investment in Jewish identity, he said.
Tommy Bacher, president of Maccabi Canada, is going to be looking for generous donors to cover the increased costs of the 2017 Maccabiah Games in Israel.
While the final trip price is still being worked out, the low Canadian dollar will add about $2,500 to the cost. Bacher worries the higher price will discourage athletes from even trying out for teams.
“We don’t want this to be the games for people who can afford it,” he said. “We want to take the best athletes in the country, irrespective of their financial situation.”
The organization will be fundraising to help bring the price down, but Bacher said he anticipates the 2017 delegation will be smaller than in previous years.
But adult travel, which is usually not subsidized, remains strong.
El Al’s bookings for the next three months are up, said Dinah Kutner, the airline’s general manager in Canada.
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Airfares have remained relatively stable, and there are deals to be had in Israel, if one looks carefully.
“A lot of tour operators are very sensitive to the fact the dollar has been devalued. They’re trying to be creative and competitive. There have been some amazing packages offered by different hotel chains,” she said.
Trips offered by Jewish federations are also fully subscribed. An adult March of the Living, which will travel to Poland and Israel this spring, has 70 adults, the same number as last year, each paying almost $9,000 (US), while the youth program has 250 participants, the same number as in previous years.
In Montreal, there’s still a year and a half to go before the departure of CJA Federation’s Mega Mission, and the price could rise from the advertised $4,500 (US), depending on the strength of the dollar. However, nearly 200 participants have already signed up, four times the number compared to the same period for the 2014 mission, said Yair Szlak, chief development officer of Federation CJA.