Israeli Tourism Minister Stas Misezhnikov will make a three-day visit to Kiev this week.

According to the Israel Ministry of Tourism, the program of S. Misezhnikov’s visit includes a series of meetings with the members of the Ukrainian government and business.

He also will attend the opening of the stand of Israel within the framework of Ukraine International Travel & Tourism Exhibition UITT – 2012.

In addition, on March 29, the Minister of Tourism of Israel will talk with Ukrainian journalists on the plans and prospects of further cooperation of participants of the tourism market of Ukraine and Israel.

The ministry also gave the data of the Central Bureau of Statistics, according to which the increase in the total flow of tourists to Israel in February 2012 was 6% compared with figures last year.

“For the previous month, the country was visited by more than 232 thousand tourists, over 36,000 of which are the citizens of CIS countries. The number of Ukrainian tourists, who came to Israel in 2011, grew by 51% and amounted to 136,750 thousand people”, – told the agency.

It was reported that an agreement between Ukraine and Israel on the abolition of visa regime for short trips came into force on February 9, 2011. Thus, the citizens of Ukraine and Israel may enter the territory of the state, make a transit through it or stay in it without a visa for 90 days for a period of 180 days.