Tourism plan underway for Hof Hacarmel

By MIRIAM BULWAR DAVID-HAY (TRANSLATED)
A special committee is being set up in the Hof Hacarmel area to develop a master plan that maximizes the tourism potential of the area while taking other needs for land into account, reports www.mynet.co.il. The committee will contain representatives from the public, the Hof Hacarmel Regional Council's Engineering Department, the District Planning Committee, the Israel Lands Authority, and the Tourism and Agriculture ministries. According to the report, the master plan is intended to come up with a clear tourism approach for Hof Hacarmel, identifying and classifying key points of interest that should be preserved and developed, and striking a balance with the ILA's requirements for land in the area. The report said the area is currently popular for horse-riding, parachuting, scuba-diving, aquatic sports, rappelling and off-road vehicle tours, and contains six hotels, three vacation villages, and more than 115 rooms in tzimmerim (guest houses). It also has three archeological sites, six maintained beaches, six museums, 41 arts-and-crafts galleries, seven spas, two wineries, a water park and two fishing parks. "This plan is important and significant for the future of Hof Hacarmel," council head Carmel Sela said. "We must develop the area while at the same time preserving it."