EL AL Israel Airlines will start operating another weekly flight from Beijing to Tel Aviv starting from March 26, 2006.

The company decided to expand and improve its service in order to meet the needs of business travelers and the increased volume of tourists from both China and Israel.

The President of the EL AL Israel Airlines, Haim Romano said, traffic from China to Israel has increased steadily over the last few years, with the rise in the number of official delegations, businessmen, and additional commercial and tourist activities. Due to customer demand, EL AL made a strategic decision to double the frequency and add another weekly flight starting next month.

"Adding the flight between Beijing and Tel Aviv is within the framework of EL AL Israel Airlines to develop Chinese tourism to Israel," said Romano.

Israel is a very attractive new destination for the Chinese market, combining rich and ancient culture, unique historical sites, excellent resorts and modern facilities for tourists. The accessibility from Israel to other countries will allow Chinese tourists to combine trips to Israel with side-trips to Italy, Egypt or Turkey.

China has given Israel "Approved Destination Status" for group tourists.

"We expect that the final agreement between the governments of China and Israel will be complete in the near future to allow Chinese travel agencies to offer tour packages to Israel," said Romano.

(Xinhua News Agency February 11, 2006)