Over the past two years, Israel’s Tourism Ministry has invested more than 2.5 million shekels (about $600,000) in access upgrades to national parks, museums and heritage sights. Recent improvements include the installation of elevators at Rosh Hanikra, the army memorial at Latrun and the fortress of Masada. The Tourism Ministry has also indicated that they plan to invest an additional 6.5 million shekels (about $1.6 million) in accessible tourism.

According to Tourism Minister Stas Misezhnikov, access to tourist attractions is of prime interest to the Ministry. Says Misezhnikov. “We believe that every person, regardless of his or her limitations, is entitled to enjoy Israel’s attractive tourism product.”

Access Israel, a non-profit advocacy organization for people with disabilities applauded the recent access upgrades. Says Access Israel Director, Yuval Wagner, “I know we still have a long way to go to improve the situation, but visiting Israel today is much easier than in the past.”