A copy of the RFP, dated July 25, was forwarded to O’Dwyer’s. Haim Gutin, Israel’s commissioner for tourism for North and South America, is listed as overseeing the agency search. He has not yet been reached.
The RFP calls for proposals targeting the general, Jewish and niche markets to promote travel to the country “in an effort to positively change image perceptions.” Proposals are due Aug. 28.The ministry of tourism has six branches in the Americas, including Los Angeles, New York, Atlanta, Chicago, Toronto and Brazil. Four U.S. airlines and Air Canada fly directly to Tel Aviv.
To pitch the account, agencies must have at least $1.5M in annual billings in the past three years, operations on the West Coast of the U.S. and in Canada, and at least five years in tourism PR.
Competing PR accounts that will disqualify firms are Greece, Egypt, Jordan, Turkey, Cyprus, Morocco, Tunisia, Malta, Palestinian authority, Abu-Dhabi, Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Yemen and “other Persian Gulf” states.
Work includes pitching and media relations, press conferences and trips, crisis management assistance, social media, and promoting Israel to celebrities and public opinion makers, among other tasks.
Israel since January has sought PR support in European markets to move beyond global coverage of its tensions with Arab neighbors in favor of a more positive image.
RFP is at odwyerpr.com/rfps.
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