Issta Lines is a public traded tourism company. Its shares are traded on the
Tel Aviv Stock Exchange
The Tel Aviv Stock Exchange (TASE; ; colloquially known as The Bursa, ) is Israel's only public stock exchange and a public company that has been traded on the Tel-Aviv Stock Exchange since August 1, 2019. Legally, the exchange is regulated by ...
. The Issta Group has over 60 branches, call centers, and online travel services throughout Israel. The Group employs over 1000 permanent employees in Israel and abroad.
In 2014 the Group had a turnover of approximately $650 million.
History
Issta is an acronym which stands for Israeli Student Travel Association, a name which reveals its initial purpose: a
student exchange
A student exchange program is a program in which students from a secondary school (high school) or university study abroad at one of their institution's partner institutions.
A student exchange program may involve international travel, but do ...
organization which began operating at the
Technion – Israel Institute of Technology
The Technion – Israel Institute of Technology ( he, הטכניון – מכון טכנולוגי לישראל) is a public research university located in Haifa, Israel. Established in 1912 under the dominion of the Ottoman Empire, the Technion ...
in 1956. Issta's first commercial step was marketing discounted seats for students in
Zim Integrated Shipping Services
Zim Integrated Shipping Services Ltd., commonly known as ZIM ( he, צים, ''tsim''; a biblical word meaning "a fleet of ships", Numbers 24:24), is a publicly held Israeli international cargo shipping company, and one of the top 20 glo ...
passenger ships (formerly ZIM Israel Navigation Company). In 1958, Issta began operating as an independent company owned by the Technion Student Body. At the same year Issta leased airplanes and began marketing cheaper flights to
Athens
Athens ( ; el, Αθήνα, Athína ; grc, Ἀθῆναι, Athênai (pl.) ) is both the capital and largest city of Greece. With a population close to four million, it is also the seventh largest city in the European Union. Athens dominates ...
,
Greece
Greece,, or , romanized: ', officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the southern tip of the Balkans, and is located at the crossroads of Europe, Asia, and Africa. Greece shares land borders ...
. Issta continued functioning as a charter operator and cruise retailer and during the 1960s turned Athens Airport into its hub.
Following the increase of incoming Student Travel and Volunteering in Israel during the 1960s, Issta began providing services for Incoming Tourism: Bus Tours around Israel,
hostels, hotels and printed matter. Following a model outlined by the
International Student Travel Confederation The World Youth Student and Educational Travel Confederation was formed in 2006. It has a network of 5000 locations in 118 countries.
The International Student Travel Confederation was a non-profit organisation founded in 1949 with a goal to secu ...
, Issta signed long-term contracts with various
airline
An airline is a company that provides air transport services for traveling passengers and freight. Airlines use aircraft to supply these services and may form partnerships or alliances with other airlines for codeshare agreements, in wh ...
s and began marketing specially-priced seats for youth and students in regular flights.
In the summer of 1978, Issta leased an aircraft from El Al for a season and operated student charter flights from Tel Aviv to European destinations. In the summer of 1979 Issta leased a 260-seat aircraft from Capitol Airlines and operated its first trans-Atlantic flight to New York. Later that summer Issta operated 2 weekly flights to New York in an aircraft leased from 'El Al Charter Services Ltd.' (later
Sun d'Or International Airlines).
In 1985, Issta joined the Israeli Travel Agent Association. In 1987 Issta owned eight branches and employed 120 workers. Its annual revenue reached $9 million and for the first time it granted scholarships for students. In 1989 Issta began launching branches in Israel's suburban and peripheral towns. Computerization of the company began in the late 1980s. Issta Direct Call Centre began operating as an informational telephone line in the beginning of the 1990s.
In 1995, Issta's gross revenue reached $90 million. The company employed 300 workers in 20 branches. In May 1996 the company was issued in
Tel Aviv Stock Exchange
The Tel Aviv Stock Exchange (TASE; ; colloquially known as The Bursa, ) is Israel's only public stock exchange and a public company that has been traded on the Tel-Aviv Stock Exchange since August 1, 2019. Legally, the exchange is regulated by ...
. In 1999
Nofesh Yashir call center began operating. The Issta Internet travel website was launched in 2000.
External links
*
Issta's International Website
References
{{TASE companies
Travel and holiday companies of Israel
Companies listed on the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange
Israeli brands