Mayor Nutter Going to Israel, London

Technically Philly reports Mayor Nutter is headed to Israel on a 10-day trade mission.

The trip, which will extend from Nov. 2 to Nov. 12, will split its time between London and other spots in the United Kingdom and then Israel, with a focus in Tel Aviv, a sister city to Philadelphia and a known hub for technology startups. The London portion of the trip will coincide with the World Travel Market, a large tourism and travel exposition at which Nutter and team hope to make a splash.

The full itinerary and the full roster of companies attending aren’t yet complete, said organizers, though Nutter said green building, technology, biotech and life sciences will be at the focus. There are sponsors, but trip attendees must pay their own way. “Travel and accommodation costs for city officials will be paid for by Select Greater Philadelphia from a portion of their budget dedicated to Philadelphia-specific business attraction efforts,” wrote the city’s Butler in a followup email.

Technically Philly notes: “At a time when city schools are in daily turmoil, Nutter might likely catch a newspaper op-ed questioning the timing.” True that.