Eilat: Israel's Tourist Beehive

Red Sea port city of Eilat is one of the most glitzy towns in Israel, attracting tourists seeking culture, adventure or heritage

- Purnima Sharma

Even if there aren't any casinos here, Eilat still revels in its moniker of 'Las Vegas of Israel. Located on the southern tip of Israel, about 375 km south of Tel Aviv, Eilat has the wellearned reputation of being the hip-town of Israel where tourists, especially the younger ones, head for its theatres, live music and all-night parties, besides lazying on the magnificent beaches of the Red Sea.

With dazzlingly lit streets, colourful markets and sounds of laughter everywhere, it is difficult to imagine that this pretty little place that nestles in the northern tip of the Red Sea was once a strategic military outpost. "Yes, ships from Africa and Asia including those laden with spices and condiments from India too, also dropped anchor here," informed Efrain Katzir, our local Israeli friend.

But matters of trade and commerce were far from our minds as we had just finished with a date with the likes of Elvis Presley, Marilyn Monroe, and Michael Jackson in a dazzling Broadway-like show. And through that, teleported to the original Sin City, Las Vegas, with the dashing young hero of the show. His meeting with many iconic Hollywood stars, together with magicians, jugglers, rollerskaters, ventriloquists, acrobats and dancers, all contributed to the magic of his life journey. And through him, ours!

The short walk from the theatre back to our hotel had let us revel in the magic of Eilat that has been ranked on the sixth position out of 52 places to visit by a major US daily in its 2019 list. And Eilat's attraction is spreading fast to many other countries, including Russia and India, as more and more Indian tourists begin to club it with Bethlehem, Tel Aviv and Jerusalem.