JERUSALEM (JTA) — Israel’s Cabinet voted to extend the Israel National Trail to Jerusalem and the West Bank.
The $2.8 million project approved Sunday will construct a second trail to include historic sites there.
“The path will expose tourists to Israel’s landscapes and sites and will bring hikers to all parts of the country, including the periphery, thereby making significant economic contributions to these areas,” Tourism Minister Yariv Levin said in a statement, which did not pinpoint exactly how the trail will run.
An interministerial team was appointed to develop a strategic plan for the trail, which will include developing ways to bring international tourists to the site.
The government is poised to start marketing the entire trail as an international tourist site. The marked trail, which runs for 680 miles throughout the country, is 22 years old.
“The Israel Trial has tourist and historical implications. This is what is needed in terms of the tourism potential,” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a statement.
He added “a personal note,” saying “There is nothing that connects one more to love of the homeland than walking through the verses of the Bible, the history of the Second Temple period and the establishment of the State of Israel.”
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