Title: Policy and Law in Israel: the case of the Tourism Services Act 1976–2002

Authors: Assaf Meydani, Natan Uriely

Addresses: School of Government and Society, The Academic College of Tel-Aviv Yaffo, 14 Rabenu Yeruham Street, P.O. Box 8401, Yaffo 61083, Israel. ' Department of Hotel and Tourism Management, School of Management, Ben-Gurion University, P.O. Box 653, Beer-Sheva 84105, Israel

Abstract: This paper reveals significant changes in the extent of governmental supervision over tourism in Israel by focusing on the formation of the tourism services law in Israel during the period of 1976–2002. Specifically, the analysis suggests that the changes in the governmental service policy are congruent with a neo-liberal economic agenda of privatisation that serves the interests of hotel owners more than those of travel agents and guides. This process is analysed by stressing the significant impact of civil servant in the Treasury Ministry in light of the politicians| inability to govern as well as the relatively lack of involvement among civilians.

Keywords: tourism legislation; legislative policy; neo-liberalism; Israel; Tourism Services Act; government supervision; privatisation; hotel owners; travel agents; tour guides.

DOI: 10.1504/IJTP.2007.017036

International Journal of Tourism Policy, 2007 Vol.1 No.3, pp.203 - 216

Published online: 04 Feb 2008 *

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