Ministry of Tourism (Israel)
The Ministry of Tourism is the Israeli government office responsible for tourism. The office was created in 1964, with Akiva Govrin being the first minister, but was appended to the Trade and Industry Ministry between 1977 and 1981. The logo for the Ministry depicts the Biblical Spies carrying fruit back from touring the Holy Land.
List of ministers
The Minister of Tourism is the political head of the ministry and a member of the Israeli cabinet. Ehud Barak is the only Prime Minister to have held the position whilst serving as the Prime Minister, whilst Moshe Katsav, who was Minister of Tourism from 1996 to 1999, went on to become President. On one occasion there was a Deputy Minister of Tourism.| # | Minister | Party | Government | Term start | Term end | Notes |
| 1 | Akiva Govrin | Mapai Alignment | 12 | 22 December 1964 | 12 January 1966 | |
| 2 | Moshe Kol | Independent Liberals | 12 January 1966 | 20 June 1977 | Resigned from the Knesset when appointed Minister in line with party policy | |
| 3 | Gideon Patt | Likud | 19 | 5 August 1981 | 11 August 1981 | |
| 4 | Avraham Sharir | Likud | 19, 20, 21, 22 | 11 August 1981 | ||
| – | Gideon Patt | Likud | 23, 24 | 22 December 1988 | 13 July 1992 | |
| 5 | Uzi Baram | Labor Party | 25, 26 | 13 July 1992 | 18 June 1996 | |
| 6 | Moshe Katsav | Likud | 27 | 18 June 1996 | 6 July 1999 | |
| 7 | Ehud Barak | One Israel | 28 | 6 July 1999 | 5 August 1999 | Serving Prime Minister |
| 8 | Centre Party | 28 | 5 August 1999 | 7 March 2001 | ||
| 9 | Rehavam Ze'evi | National Union | 29 | 7 March 2001 | 17 October 2001 | Assassinated whilst in office |
| 10 | Binyamin Elon | National Union | 29 | 31 October 2001 | 14 March 2002 | |
| 11 | Yitzhak Levy | 29 | 28 February 2003 | |||
| – | Binyamin Elon | National Union | 30 | 28 February 2003 | 6 June 2004 | Sacked after the National Union refused to support the disengagement plan. In an ultimately unsuccessful attempt to prevent him from being fired before a cabinet vote on the plan by avoiding receiving notification of his sacking, Elon went into hiding. |
| 12 | Gideon Ezra | Likud | 30 | 4 July 2004 | 10 January 2005 | Initially appointed Acting Minister of Tourism, with the position made permanent on 31 August 2004 |
| 13 | Avraham Hirschson | Kadima | 30 | 10 January 2005 | 4 May 2006 | |
| 14 | Isaac Herzog | Labor Party | 31 | 4 May 2006 | 21 March 2007 | |
| 15 | Yitzhak Aharonovich | Yisrael Beiteinu | 31 | 21 March 2007 | 16 January 2008 | |
| 16 | Ruhama Avraham | Kadima | 31 | 14 July 2008 | 31 March 2009 | |
| 17 | Stas Misezhnikov | Yisrael Beiteinu | 32 | 31 March 2009 | 18 March 2013 | |
| 18 | Uzi Landau | Yisrael Beiteinu | 33 | 18 March 2013 | 14 May 2015 | |
| 19 | Yariv Levin | Likud | 34 | 14 May 2015 | 17 May 2020 | |
| 20 | Asaf Zamir | Blue and White | 35 | 17 May 2020 |