The Israel Ministry of Tourism recently initiated a competition to produce videos promoting tourism to Israel, with the aim of presenting the top ten winners and screening their videos at the IMTM 2018 International Tourism Fair in February 2018, and using the top three videos to market in the Ministry's social media to encourage tourism to and in Israel to both local and international markets.
The Tourism Ministry announced the competition in December, 2017, advertising a call for tourism marketing videos to the public of students of academic Israeli institutions, strictly those recognized by the Israeli Council for Higher Education CHE.
The competition criteria stipulated that the 30-second videos reflect content such as heritage and landscape, spirituality and religion, culinary, culture, and the three S's (sun, sea, sand). Further, the Selection Committee would choose according to originality, innovation, creativity, aesthetics and beauty, as well as marketing potential.
The three best videos were awarded with cash prizes: third place earned its creators NIS 2,500, second place NIS 5,000, and first place the sum of NIS 10,000.
Two BA students in the Department of Hotel and Tourism Management at the Guilford Glazer Faculty of Business and Management (GGFBM), Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, won first and third place: Mark Bazanov, who is studying in the Department's Eilat campus, and Eyal Ben Efraim, who studies at the Marcus campus in Beer Sheva.
Mark and Eyal said that the filming of their personal travel videos began as a hobby, and developed with experience. "I travel a lot, in Israel and abroad. At the end of each trip, I edit the videos I took," says Eyal. "In the video for the competition, I played on the fact that Israel is small, and tourists do not have to spend much time traveling from place to place or on domestic flights. It was important that the video be fast and upbeat, with rhythmic music." Mark also emphasized the need for exact musical bite to suit each frame in the video." For the video, "I took from my video collection from many trips in Israel, even ones I accompanied as a security guard," Mark says.
Commenting on his participation in the IMTM event where his competition victory was announced, Mark Bazanov added. "I had a great opportunity to take part in this kind of competition, especially one connected to academic tourism that I've chose to study. I hope I will have more opportunities to participate in competitions like this. I recommend to anyone who has a passionate hobby to take the initiative and leverage it further."
Enthusiastic about his studies in Hotel and Tourism Department at the BGU Eilat campus, Mark produced and edited a marketing video to promote the Eilat campus at Ben-Gurion University. "I moved to Eilat from Tiberias to study, and I also recommend others to do the same," he says. And this will not be Eyal's last video: Part of the NIS 10,000 prize he received in the competition, Mark invested in a mini drone to upgrade his photography capabilities for the following videos.
Prof. Yaniv Poria, Academic Director of the Eilat Campus at Ben-Gurion University, and Head of the GGBM Department of Hotel and Tourism Management: "We are very proud of Mark and Eyal. I credit the students' ability to combine the abilities and skills of the students with the body of knowledge they were exposed to in their studies. We strongly encourage students to participate in competitions of this type that are of great importance for their educational and professional development."
Mark's first prize video:
Mark's BGU Eilat Campus promo video:
The Department of Hotel and Tourism Management is a core part of the Guilford Glazer Faculty of Business and Management since its establishment at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev. The vanguard of hotel and tourism research and studies in Israel, the Department is the only one offering BA, MA and PhD degrees in this field. The unique curriculum imparts relevant acumen for the of leaders in the industries of hotel, tourism, aviation, beverage and catering and more. The studies sharpen analytical-business thinking, providing students with experience that prepare them for management, innovation and entrepreneurship in the industries, underscored with leadership, sustainability and social responsibility. The Department has an international reputation for quality research achievements and is ranked among the top 50 in the world by the Shanghai ARWU Global Ranking.
