Business & Pleasure Travel to Israel

Getting To Know Israel Makes Good Business Sense

Thirty years of experience managing business relationships between Americans and Israelis have taught us the importance of cultural familiarization and the contributory value of getting to know where and how your foreign business partners live and work.

In today’s globalized economy, modern Israel is becoming a vital element in the international strategies of both large and small US businesses. Long considered a critical region, Israel has transformed into an attractive wellspring of commercial opportunity.

The diversity, complexity and unique flavor of Israel’s people, culture and geography are key contributors to the intricacies of doing business in that country. More than anywhere else, the Israeli business environment reflects, and is driven by the history, geopolitics, ethnic diversity, economy and values of a people whose attributes are as composite and elaborate as their chronicles and legacy.

American corporate managers and employees arriving in Israel are quickly comforted by the country’s familiar suburban American feel and are just as quickly confounded by the intensity of Israeli culture. The similarities between Americans and Israelis make it all the more difficult to decode the differences in business culture. The multiple factors driving mindset, communicative, and business culture differences between Americans and Israelis can generate significant challenges to the successful fulfillment of your business objectives in Israel. 

Leveraging an Opportunity

Because of the distance factor, traveling to Israel for business purposes requires significant time devoted to physical travel and an adjustment period to the effects of jet lag and climate differences. Even very short business trips to Israel entail at least 48 hours “on-the-road” going there and back, flight and accommodations outlays and local in-country expenses. 

Twenty-five years managing business travel to Israel have taught us at Galilee Travel that over 75% of first-time business travelers to Israel are interested in at least a day or two of local tourism and sight-seeing. Very few businesspersons visiting Israel choose to give up the opportunity to discover Israel’s unique offerings—religious, historical, geographic and cultural, and forgo any kind of personal discovery and leisure time while already in the country for professional purposes.

In today's world of revised business practices balancing work with an active and enjoyable personal life has become an important objective. Setting aside adequate time for leisure and self-fulfillment alongside professional and work commitments has become commonplace. Studies have shown that adequate rest is one of the most important factors contributing to creativity, productivity and critical thinking and that companies respecting the need for personal downtime have happier and more productive employees.