New Dead Sea Resort Set to Cater to Russian Tourists

In response to a dramatic increase in Russian tourism to Israel, the Moscow Municipality-owned company Sun Dream announced plans to open a $100 million luxury resort at Ein Bokek on the southern shores of the Dead Sea in mid-2009.

The 52,500-square-foot hotel will feature 240 guest rooms and suites, two indoor swimming pools, conference rooms, two restaurants and a helipad. Sun Dream will begin construction within the next few months, increasing the number of guest rooms around the Dead Sea to approximately 4,300.

The Israel Hotel Association reports that 763,000 tourists stayed in Israel’s hotels in September –a rise of 49 percent compared to the same month last year- and tourist stays between January and September amounted to 7.6 million –an increase of 25 percent compared to the same period in 2007. Israel expects an all-time high of 3 million tourists to arrive by the end of 2008.