One Year Since Oct. 7, What’s the Current State of Tourism to Israel?
by Briana Bonfiglio
Tel Aviv. Photo: Israel Ministry of Tourism
One year after the Oct. 7, 2023, attacks in Israel, there is still ongoing violent unrest in the Middle East and flight stoppages by major airlines. Given all that, tourism to Israel from the United States is “as good as it can be right now” as it welcomes some return visitors offsetting the near disappearance of first-timers.
That’s according to Chad Martin, the Israel Ministry of Tourism’s director of the U.S. northeast region.
From January through August 2024, there have been 226,000 U.S. travelers to Israel. Comparatively, there were 643,000 during that period in 2019 – a return of 35% from a record year.
“It’s a tremendous amount for a country that is under such duress. It shows that it is a meaningful destination, and people are filling every plane leaving to make sure they’re coming to bear witness,” Martin told TMR. “It’s a difficult time but tourism is the glimmer of hope.”
Flights on El Al, the only carrier with current service to Israel, are at 99% capacity and normally make up 35% of the total inbound flights – meaning it truly is “as good as it can be,” Martin emphasized.
“There are not enough flights to service the demand we have. That’s not to say it would match numbers in another year, but it certainly would be higher if we had more capacity.”
But the travelers going to Israel are mainly repeat visitors seeing friends and family or to offer support to Israelis. Jewish groups and synagogues are also visiting more frequently than they normally would.
The country has not seen the return of first timers, causing the tour and hospitality sectors to take a financial hit. Nearly all tourism-related companies have lost at least 70% of their business. Israel has therefore adopted a compensation system like those enacted during the Covid-era shutdowns.
United and Delta Air Lines have both halted flights to Tel Aviv. The airlines returned briefly over the summer but have now paused at least through December, leading Martin to believe that “an extended quiet or firm peace agreement” would cause the airlines to return quickly. “We just don’t know when that will be.”
