The Israel Ministry of Tourism (IMOT) hosted a farewell reception for Gal Hana, Consul for Tourism and Director for Canada for IMOT Canada, on 18JUN as he embarks on new ventures.
While a live band played in the background at a club overlooking Lake Ontario, guests, including tourism partners, travel agents, and media, sipped cocktails and nibbled on appetizers while catching up with Hana and the IMOT team on the latest developments.
Hana arrived in Canada in 2019 during the Toronto Raptors' NBA championship run; he and his family joined in celebrating the victory. Before joining the IMOT, Hana served as Senior Director of National Projects in the Prime Minister's office in Israel.
Hana reflected on his experience within the travel industry, praising its professionalism and support for his bold initiatives. Despite facing numerous challenges, including war, COVID restrictions, and a lack of direct airlifts to Israel, Hana highlighted these as significant periods in his career. His strategic thinking helped him deal with many of these obstacles.
"I'm proud to say that during this tumultuous period, we signed the biggest marketing agreement in the Ministry worldwide with TravelBrands," Hana said. "We also inked a deal with Air Transat to open a new route. It was still a bit of a roller coaster, with El Al pulling out of the Canadian market in 2023.
Despite the ongoing strife, people are still traveling to Israel from Canada and the United States. I believe travel will bounce back very quickly once everything gets back to a calmer state," he said.
So, what's next? Hana told Open Jaw he intends to stay in Canada and embrace a new challenge outside of the industry.
In his final parting words, Hana spoke about how much he has learned from his role at IMOT.
"The world is ever-changing, and it's best not to think too far ahead because you never know what will happen."
Israel hotel industry representatives had the chance to speak at Hana's farewell event. This included the well-known Dan Hotels, which has properties across Israel, the newer Kempinski Tel Aviv, and the luxury five-star The Inbal Jerusalem.
IMOT's offices will continue operations with Jerry Adler, Deputy Director for Canada, Director, PR + Communications, at the helm. More information about travel to Israel can be found at GoIsrael.com
