Haifa Port on the Rebound

This photo of Haifa Port is courtesy of TripAdvisor

It’s no secret that the Eastern Mediterranean has dealt with geo-political challenges over the last few years.  The impact has been felt by Egypt, Turkey, Cyprus, and Israel.  The Western Med has also felt the impact, with a shift in capacity to an already crowded Western Mediterranean.  Fortunately for Haifa Port, things are turning around.

Overall tourist and visitor numbers have steadily increased despite the challenges. In March, CNBC reported that tourism to Israel had increased a remarkable 48%, ahead of Iceland, Portugal, Vietnam and Norway. Israel experienced a banner year for tourism in 2017.

Three years ago, Haifa Port hired Access Cruise to market the destination, change perceptions and increase capacity to the region for the cruise market.  For Haifa Port, it was an inspired decision signaling much larger strategic plans, and it’s a great success story for Access Cruise.

Compared to 2018, Haifa Port expects an 86% increase in bookings in 2019, with another increase expected in 2020. It may come as a surprise to learn there is a market for cruises from Israel. Haifa Port is the only port in Israel that can be used as an embarkation/debarkation point, and the few ships that sail from Haifa always leave at full capacity.  Israelis love to cruise, and although this market is largely untapped, it hasn’t stopped Haifa’s vision and planning. Haifa Port has the strong support of the Ministry of Tourism, and they’re focused on planning for the future.

This year Haifa Port completed the renovation and reopening of all passenger terminal quays, offering a total of 900 meters of quay. The port was the site of some high-profile events in 2018: starting point for the 2nd stage of the Giro d’Italia, filming of the first season of Israeli Ninja Warrior, as well as the filming location for music videos and a Koolulam event.  If you haven’t heard of Koolulam, do yourself a favor and check them out on YouTube.  The “One Day” video was filmed in a massive hangar at Haifa Port…inspiration for a troubled world.

Haifa Port has another major project underway, with its plan to create a new urban seafront offering shops, bars and restaurants.  And if that’s not enough, in April 2019 the Haifa Lights laser show will take place every evening, amazing the entire city and delighting cruise guests lucky to have an overnight stay.

As part of our work with Haifa Port, Access Cruise arranged and escorted the first Executive Cruise Summit to Israel and Cyprus. Haifa Port partnered with DP World Limassol in Cyprus to host the event in April and cruise executives from six cruise lines, responsible for itinerary planning, shore excursions and port operations, attended the summit.  The group spent three days in Israel and three days in Cyprus exploring the beauty, majesty and ancient history of these singular destinations.

Experiencing this incredible country, the genuine warmth and generosity of its people, the truly amazing food and wine, and the sites of antiquity, was the opportunity of a lifetime.  It was incredibly gratifying to hear the cruise executives’ positive feedback on their experience. Despite the challenges Israel has faced over the last few years, Haifa Port has optimistically forged ahead and planned for the future.  And the future is bright.