TORONTO — Israel is on pace to welcome more than four million visitors this year, making 2018 a record-breaker.

The Israel Ministry of Tourism updated the trade on all things Israel at a recent presentation in Toronto, hosted in partnership with Dan Hotels Israel and EL AL.

Jerry Adler, Director for Canada, Israel Ministry of Tourism, kicked off the evening by highlighting some of Israel’s features and recent developments.

For Canada month to month in both 2017 and now in 2018 Israel’s numbers have exceeded all expectations in 2017, says Adler. “We realized over 85,000 Canadian passport holder tourists to Israel, and we anticipate breaching the 90,000 level. In Canada, Israel is growing in popularity for tourists seeking and booking leisure travel packages which include fabulous hotels for unique niche experiences blended together with culinary, adventure, history and faith.”

Part of a rebranding strategy that started just a few years ago, and buoyed by a years-long stretch of stability in the country, IMOT’s move to marketing collateral highlighting Jerusalem and Tel Aviv – along with an emphasis on a wide range of niche product across the country, from eco-tourism to sports and adventure to culinary – has seen visitor figures to the country soar.

Also at the presentation, Dinah Kutner, General Manager Canada for EL AL, says that starting Jan.13, 2019, EL AL will be operating a new 787 Dreamliner from Toronto to Tel Aviv.

The Dreamliner will feature 32 flat beds in Business Class, 28 premium seats and 222 economy seats. The airline will use the Air France lounge in Terminal 3. Kutner says the plane will have a seat chat feature which allows passengers to conduct conversations with other passengers on the plane. As an added bonus, the flight will be one hour shorter: 11 hours instead of 12 hours.

Meanwhile Rafi Baeri, Vice President for Marketing and Sales, Dan Hotels Israel, gave agents an update on Dan Hotels’ offerings in Israel and well as recent renovations and improvements to these hotels. Dan Hotels operates 13 hotels in Israel including four in Jerusalem (including the storied King David Hotel), and three in Tel Aviv.

This year marked the introduction of Dan Hotels’ new hotel concept, LINK hotel & hub, targeted at Millennials with reduced service levels – and lower room rates to match – as well as new technology related features and more space in common areas, for a demographic where ‘connectivity is king’. Properties also feature street art created by local street artists.