Tourism brings a vital £1 billion each year to the Israeli economy, but the threat of suicide bombers has disuaded the casual holidaygoer.

The Israel Tourist Board has not advertised in the UK for more than two years, a period in which the Palestinian intifada and the Israeli Government’s response have led to 3,500 deaths.

Now the tourist board is inviting agencies to produce a campaign that centres on the country’s cultural wealth and history as well as its broad religious background.

The task is far from impossible, Tim Duffy, the managing director and founding member of M&C Saatchi, said. “The key is not to say ‘come to Israel’, because people don’t choose holidays by country any more but by particular pursuits,” he said.

“Younger holidaymakers will be attracted to diving and ecotourism. Some want a holiday with a vibrant club and bar scene. Others will come for archaeology or religious pilgrimages. You need to target specific groups and sub-brand Israel.” In other words, don’t mention the war.

“I would not confront the terror issue head on,” Mr Duffy said. “Promote the positives because people will make their own minds up about the negatives.”

Among the country’s selling points are the old city and Western Wall in Jerusalem, the international opera festival at Caesarea, the site of Qumran, where the Dead Sea Scrolls were discovered, and scuba diving at the Red Sea resort of Eilat.

Mark Borkowski, the public relations expert whose agency represents clients ranging from Warner Brothers to Mikhail Gorbachev, said: “I’m not sure £2 million is enough to run the scale of television campaign required.”

He continued: “It will take more than a good ad campaign to sort out the tribulations of the Israeli Government. But there is no room for pessimism in the campaign. You can’t sell Israel with images of soldiers and reassuring safety messages.

“There is a loyal Jewish and cross-denomination audience who will want to go to show support, but the key is to get more Americans next year.”

The value of tourism to Israel has fallen from £2.3 billion in 2000, with 3 million visitors, to £1 billion last year. But the Israel Tourist Board has found that the figures are reviving this year, with large numbers of Christian groups visiting religious sites alongside Jewish travellers.

Visitor numbers began to increase after the Iraq war, with 54 per cent more people coming to the country in July than in the previous summer.

A spokesman for the Israel Tourist Board said: “Even though the media magnify the problems in Israel, the reality is Israel is a safe place to visit. Security is stringent and tourists are not targeted, while El Al is probably the safest airline flying at present.”

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