The best of Tel Aviv
Written by: Anita Lišková & Todd Shaw
Photo by: allphoto images
Not yet a century old, Tel Aviv sprung up from the desert near Jaffa, soon becoming a sanctuary for refugees from all over the world. While the lively avenues, big squares and buzzing nightlife draw comparisons from locals to New York, the climate leaves no doubt to its Mediterranean setting.
| Michal Pacovský owner of legal office M. Pacovský a spol. Favorite hotel: Sea Tower, 1 Trumpeldor str., tel.: +972 3 795 3434 Favorite restaurant: Sea Tower restaurant, 1 Trumpeldor str., tel.: +972 3 795 3434 I feel really good in this hotel, so I take the advantage of its restaurant as well. Favorite attraction: Marina Club in the Jaffa harbor where you can sit and chat into the late hours, or you can put to sea on a sailboat. Advice: Visit the Ramat Ganu district of Tel Aviv, where you can see the diamond exchange and some of the local grinderies for these precious stones. |
| Petr Nebeský secretary, Czech-Israeli Chamber of Commerce Favorite hotel: Sheraton Tel Aviv Hotel and Towers, 115 Haayarkon str., tel.: +972 3 521 9300. Situated on the seashore, with a very good restaurant, Olive Leaf, suitable for business lunches. Favorite restaurant: Manta Ray, Alma Beach near Dolphinarium, tel.: +972 3 517 4773. Relaxed atmosphere, splendid sea view, fine appetizers, seafood soup. Favorite attraction: Dolphinarium at Alma Beach, 1 Kaufman Str. +972 3 510 6670 Advice: Tel Aviv Museum of Art, 27 Shaul Hamelech. Huge collection of famous impressionists and post-impressionists, in addition to the classics. |
| Coby Lapidot owner, Cybex health club & spaFavorite hotel: Hilton Hotel, Independence Park, tel.: +972 3 520 2222 Favorite restaurant: Chimichanga, 6 Kriminitzky str., tel.: +972 3 561 3232 Favorite night club: Ha’oman 17 , 17 Ha’oman str., Talpiot Industrial Zone, Jerusalem Favorite attraction: Arena Shopping Mall, Hertelia Pituach, tel.: +972 9 955 6185 Advice: Find an Israeli friend to take you around. |
| Karel Zalský president, Interprospekt Consulting Real EstateFavorite hotel: Dan Panorama Tel Aviv, 10, Kaufman str., tel.: +972 3 519 0190 Hotel at the seashore, well-equipped for conferences. Favorite restaurant: Forel, 10 Frishman str., tel.: +972 3 522 2664 Excellent antipasta, trout, and other fish stuffed with spinach. Favorite attraction: Visit Jaffa, only two km away, with its unique monuments from Egyptian pyramids to the time of Napoleon. Also, picturesque houses from the period of the Ottoman empire. Advice: Don’t forget to take your swimsuit with you. Sometimes you can go down to the huge, well-maintained Mediterranean beach directly from the hotel elevator. |
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Where on the web?
For further information, we suggest the following websites dedicated to Tel Aviv:
www.chamber.org.il – the Federation of Israeli Chambers of Commerce can provide advice and information on doing business in Israel.
http://www.go2israel.org/telaviv.htm – at-a-glance travel and tourism guide that’s not too in-depth, but a good place to start.
http://www.virtualtourist.com/vt/1a102d/1/21d7/ – mostly links here, focused on hotels and travel packages.
http://www.iagora.com/itravel/icities/israel/tel_aviv/ic_index.html – site allows visitors to log in and chat with locals about specific details of their city.
http://www.worldroom.com/pages/cg_telaviv/telaviv_main.phtml -a nice, cleanly designed site with info, tips, photos and links.
http://www.israel-travel.net/travel.htm – useful link page, as well as info on discounted airfare and accomodation.
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Business profile
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· Tel Aviv is Israel’s economic and financial center. The national stock exchange is located here, along with the head offices of major banks and almost all the country’s insurance and finance institutions. It has a booming high-tech venture capital industry and is particularly strong in the areas of telecommunications equipment, software, internet and semi-conductors. High-tech medical instruments, innovative pharmaceuticals and the diamond trade (including cutting and polishing) also contribute substantially to the economy.
· Major industries include clothing (much of it for outlets in Europe and America), food processing, metal and engineering, printing and publishing. Israeli manufacturing has a reputation for high quality and innovation. Tourism is another important contributor, comprising a significant source of foreign exchange earnings.
· A procedure known as “Dual-listing’, launched in July 2000, permits larger Israeli companies to be listed both in New York – on the New York Stock Exchange, NASDAQ or American Stock Exchange – and on the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange. Around 50 international Israeli companies have taken advantage of this possibility.
Source: www.cityguide.travel-guides.com
Business etiquette
· The business community in Tel Aviv is highly sophisticated, with an international outlook. There is a strong preference for informality and plain-speaking. Business attire is generally “smart-casual”, jacket and open-necked shirt. Women dress stylishly but relatively informally, usually trousers or a skirt with a blouse or shirt. After introduction, it is customary to use first names. English is generally spoken well by businesspeople and is used out of politeness if non-Israelis are present.
· Business opening hours in Tel Aviv are generally 8am-6pm Sunday to Thursday. On Fridays, businesses shut at 12:30 for Shabbat (the Sabbath), which starts Friday at sundown and continues to Saturday evening. Increasingly, Shabbat is being extended so that the whole of Friday is added to Saturday as a day off work.
Source: www.cityguide.travel-guides.com