As Israel reopens its borders to foreign visitors, the country is looking ahead to an ambitious goal of welcoming 10 million tourists per year.
Speaking at the World Travel Market trade fair in London, Minister for Tourism, Yoel Razvozov said: “I think we have all the infrastructure for 10 million tourists, we can achieve this goal.”
The country previously saw a record of 4.5 million tourists in 2019. While numbers aren’t set to return to those levels for a while, the first steps are in place to prepare Israel’s tourist industry for the future, Mr Razvozov added, with work on more than 40 new hotels started during the pandemic.
This includes global chains such as Mandarin Oriental and Four Seasons, which have new properties planned, as well as Kempinski, whose new Tel Aviv hotel is due to open in February, and the Six Senses Shaharut in the Negev Desert, which saw its first guests arriving in August.
But there are also proposals to increase other accommodation options, such as glamping, with a goal to get infrastructure in place as part of a five to ten-year strategy. “It’s five-star camping,” says Mr Razvozov. “I ask the ministry to prepare sites for glamping to develop.”
There’s also a focus on gastronomy and wine tourism, as well as sustainable and eco-tourism, encouraging visitors to explore Israel’s deserts.
And while the long-running Two Cities One Break campaign, centred around on Tel Aviv and Jerusalem, will be ongoing, there’s likely to be more focus on the desert and Sea of Galilee, active breaks including more hiking and biking trails, as well as Eilat for winter sun as tourists continue to search for post-Covid breaks to escape the city,
For now, while the borders are opening once again, tourism is restricted to those who can show proof of vaccination with a WHO approved vaccine, or recovery from the virus within 180 days of their departure date.
Foreign visitors must have had the second vaccine or booster shot at least 14 days before entry, present a negative PCR test taken within 72 hours of their departure then upon arrival, take another test and self-isolate for up to 24 hours.
At present, the rules exclude the vast majority of British children, although the Minister confirmed that he is looking at options to enable families to return to Israel, such as daily antigen tests with parents responsible for ensuring these are carried out.
If rules are relaxed for children in Israel, it’s possible that this will also be extended to cover foreign tourists under 18, said Mr Razvozov.
The situation looks unlikely to change for at least another month, however, with the next review due to take place at the start of December to ensure the current system is working effectively.
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