# 005 2011 October

IDENTITY’S The Traveller T IPS N EW S AN D IN F OR M AT ION ABO UT

T RAVEL AND ED U C AT ION IN I SR AEL

Identity Travel Presents: CFI Engage Israel Tour

May 28th - June 8th 2012

Engaging Tour & Christian Friends of Israel Conference This week Identity Travel announced the

launch of its Engage Israel Tour in collabora-

tion with Christian Friends of Israel. This

enriching tour combines educational content

and sightseeing to further the understanding

of Israel's historical, cultural and political

heritage. The itinerary includes eight days of

touring seamlessly followed by the 4 day CFI

Jerusalem conference.

This May 28th - June 8th tour will integrate

New and Old Testament heritage sites, Zion-

ist sites and contemporary tourist attractions

with diverse key note speakers and politically

-charged workshops. The highpoint of this

experience will be in Jerusalem where partic-

ipants will join the Christian Friends of Israel

Annual Conference.

“CFI is welcoming Identity Travel to join

our Annual CFI Conference in Jerusalem

for 2012,” says Sharon Sanders, Execu-

tive Director of Christian Friends of

Israel. "It has always been a highlight and

unforgettable experience for Christians

who love Israel to attend.”

CFI's conference has brought thousands

of Christian supporters to Jerusalem over

the past 26 years for in-depth teaching of

God’s Word on Israel. The conference

will include some of the world’s most

distinguished speakers on Israel and the

Church as well as Christian praise and

worship.

To signup Contact:

malcolm@identitytour.com

SITE of the WEEK Kibbutz Sde Eliyahu Bio-Tour

A pioneer in organic agriculture, Kibbutz Sde Eliyahu welcomes visitors to a

unique tour in its clean air and chemical free environment of organic farm-

ing. Participants in the local Bio-Tour are met by experienced guides who

walk them through a multi-sensual experience of nature. The thought-

provoking experience arouses all the senses; see, hear, smell, taste and touch

Israeli nature and agriculture .

SITE of the WEEK

Pg. 1

Not Another Pilgrimage

Pg. 3

Happy New Year

Pg. 2

Www.IdentityTour.com

REVISIT HISTORY TODAY

Many people travel

across the world without

really seeing it. Going

from one air conditioned

hotel to

the next,

getting

on and

off the

bus to

see sights

and mark another check

on their list. With out

context, these sights are

reduced to no more than

another tack pins on a

map.

Our Roots of the Conflict

series of tours

aims to expose partici-

pants to a plethora of

layers and perspectives

on Israel’s history and

aspects in relation

to the current

conflict.

From biblical

archeological

ruins to colonial

antiquities, from the birth

of religion to holy war,

from modern fortresses

to contemporary politics.

We want you to experi-

ence it all! Meet the

people and hear their

story to understand Israel

like never before.

Letter From the Founder:

Booking to Gain a New Perspective We are always happy to customize special

interest tours for our customers.

A new year is upon us, new

resolutions, new partners,

new customers and new

tours!

In 2011 we offered our en-

gaging enrichment tours only

to groups and customized

them in collaboration with

the tour leader. This month

we announced our scheduled

of guaranteed departure for

2012 that will allow individu-

als to enjoy our innovative

approach to tours in Israel.

“Travel is never to a

destination but to a

new way of seeing

things”

Henry Miller

Identity is proud to wel-

come James Williams as

Tour Manager.

James is an expert in

travel planning and tour

operation. His inter-

personal skills allow him to pin-point the

client's needs and turn them into a reality.

In his former capacity as Director of Edu-

cation, Development and Tour program-

ing at Hibba Israeli Heritage Movement

he was responsible for developing on-tour

educational content and coordinating tours

and seminars in Israel.

Prior to working in the travel business,

James has used his organizational skills

and his logistics experience to benefit a

range of non-profit organizations in the

UK, Israel and Canada. James has both

the skill and the desire to educate, to give

and to make thing happen. In this sense he

embodies the spirit of Identity Travel.

NEW FACES Tour Manager

Happy Rosh Hashanah !

Identity Travel wishes all its clients, partners and providers a Happy New Year. We were moved by your response to our greeting cards. The tour groups on the ground had the oppor-tunity to witness the local fes-tivities as well as experience traditional blowing of the Sho-far (horn) in Jerusalem.

Welcome Travel Agents! We would like to welcome our new travel agent partners. Their success is our success.

A PICTURE IS WORTH A THOUSAND WORDS

Cross cultural tour group blowing Shofar horns in Jerusalem

December 29th 2011 - January 7th 2012 Roots of the Conflict Political Tour Sign Up

Now

December 29th 2011 - January 5th 2012 Walk in His Footsteps Tour Sign Up

Now

February 16th -February 22nd 2012 Wine and Dine in Israel Tour Sign Up

Now

April 25th - May 3rd 2012 Bridges For Peace Tour Sign Up

Now

May 3rd - MAY 10th 2012 Kabbalah Way of Life Tour Sign Up

Now

May 28th - June 8th 2012 Engage Israel CFI Conference and

Tour

Sign Up

Now

June 29th - July 8th 2012 Roots of the Conflict Tour

Political Tour

Sign Up

Now

June 29th - July 6th 2012 Walk in His Footsteps Tour Sign Up

Now

August 2nd - August 9th 2012 Wine and Dine in Israel Tour Sign Up

Now

November 9th - November 18th 2012 Roots of the Conflict Tour

Political Tour

Sign Up

Now

November 9th - November 16th 2012 Wak in His Footsteps Christian Tour Sign Up

Now

UPCOMING TOURS 2012 Guaranteed Departure for Individual Bookings

NOT ANOTHER PILGRIMAGE ! How many times have you heard of yet another pilgrimage to

Israel? Ever since the dawn of Christianity, a modest but con-

stant stream of dedicated believers have made their way to the

Holy Land to follow in the footsteps of

Jesus. After the Six Day War in 1967

Israel's tourism experienced unprecedent-

ed growth and achieved a staggering 2

million tourists a year. That’s when pil-

grimages to Israel first became a market-

able product – a business.

Many Christians have ventured here over

the decades touring sites related to the

life of Jesus or mentioned in the New

Testament. Seeing the sites dating to this

very specific 40 year era is in itself such

a moving and fulfilling experience that

tourists often felt no further need to ex-

pand the scope of their spiritual exploration. The tour opera-

tors, to their end, failed to provide innovation and thus pilgrim-

ages were reduced to a sightseeing checklist devoid of any

context or contemporary relevance.

Today's Christian tourist is no longer satisfied with the classic

'Walk in His footsteps ' pilgrimage. Many supplement the tra-

ditional sites with Old Testament sites and Jewish sites to get a

better understanding of the backdrop to the birth of Christiani-

ty. Others take a wider view to Christian history,

including its less convenient segments such as

the Crusades. Most of all, Christians are inter-

ested these days in the political situation, the

role and stance of Christianity on the issues of

modern day Israel.

The Christian Tourism of today is a true explo-

ration, offering a spiritual journey of discovery.

A discovery of ancient roots ignored for millen-

niums, a discovery of the connection to the land,

the people, and their fate – It is an exploration

into ones identity and that, my friends, is the

essence of all meaningful travel.

At Identity Travel we try to cater to this demand

and we have created educational tours that offer self-discovery

through history, culture and politics. Our agenda is to educate

our customers and enrich their sense of place, time and identi-

ty. If our success is in any way a reflection of the extent of this

new market, Israel's potential for growth as a tourist destina-

tion for the 'thinking Christian market' is infinite.

"T ravel is more than the seeing of sights; it is a change that goes on, deep and per-

manent, in the ideas of living." -- Miriam Beard