The local committee for planning and construction in Eilat has approved this week the rehabilitation and development plan for the coast of Eilat, which was damaged by the severe storm that hit the city last March and left behind tremendous damage. The Ministry of Tourism has approved the transfer of 25 million ILS for the rehabilitation and development of the coastal strip.
In the last few months since the storm, the municipality has been working to remove many hazards and has carried out maintenance work on the rift. Immediately afterwards, The Dead Sea Preservation Government Company began operating along the coastal strips and carried out restoration work, including dismantling rocks, scattering 4,500 tons of sand along the northern coastal strip, placing dozens of temporary shadowing facilities, restoring showers, connecting infrastructure, and more.
The coastal strip development plan that has now been approved is part of a multi-year strategic plan for the development of the coastal strip of the city of Taba to Aqaba, in which the investment cost is estimated at 823 million ILS. The plan for the development of the coastal strip was formulated by the Eilat Municipality together with the Meislitz-Kasif Architects Office, based on the Eilat shores as a strategic national asset of the city. The State of Israel has adopted the plan as a national plan, and the Ministry of Tourism has appointed The Dead Sea Preservation Government Company to lead its implementation. The plan defines a tourist concept that connects a vibrant and lively tourist space in the northern part of the city and its natural southern part that offers peace and quiet in front of spectacular beaches. Between these contrasts, it will reinvent the tourist experience that the city offers to its visitors and as a result will open it to new target audiences and increase the number of visitors.
The Minister of Tourism, MK Assaf Zamir: “Investing in the tourism infrastructure in the city of Eilat is another important step on the road to rehabilitating the industry and the economy of the city as a whole, along with the aid packages we have promoted for the benefit of the city. The Ministry of Tourism, under my leadership, will be a full partner in advancing the vision for the development of the city for years to come, with the aim of realizing the enormous potential that Eilat has by investing in infrastructure, increasing the hotel supply and promoting a wide range of tourist attractions”.
Meir Yitzhak Halevi, Mayor of Eilat, said that “we are facing a complex economic and social reality due to the COVID-19 crisis. The tourism industry is deeply affected and with it the sources of income of the city’s residents. It is precisely during this period that investment in infrastructure is of paramount importance. I would like to thank The Dead Sea Preservation Government Company, the Ministry of Tourism and the Ministry of Finance, who joined in a short time to produce the move that the local committee approved today”.