Israel Tourism campaigns to focus on Indian tourists

Betting big on Indian tourist arrivals, the Israel Ministry of Tourism is looking at drawing 70,000 tourists this year.

Amruta Bangera, Director of Marketing, Israel Ministry of Tourism (IMOT), said tourism in Israel had picked up in 2024 with 962,000 tourists visiting the country from across the globe. However, the war-like situation hit arrivals and the total number of Indian tourists dropped to 9,600.

Israel saw the largest tourist influx of 4.9 million visitors in 2018, she told businessline in an interaction.

Asked about the recent escalation of tensions which could hit arrivals, Bangera said tensions pertain only to the borders where tourists are not allowed to go. Such unrest is only in the Gaza Strip where the tourists cannot travel. All the tourist attractions are completely safe, she said, adding that the safety of tourists is the Ministry’s top priority and it is careful about the security of citizens and tourists alike.

Ben Gurion Airport is fully operational and most cities such as Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, Dead Sea and Galilee are active day and night. Air India resumed flight services between Delhi and Tel Aviv in March.

India, she said, is among the top 10 countries in terms of tourist arrivals to Israel. Last year, 9,600 tourists from India visited Israel; of this, 50 per cent was pilgrim tourism, the majority from Kerala, she said.

For the Israel Ministry of Tourism, India is a key market where the department is investing a sizable sum of money in marketing activities.

“We have launched e-visas for Indians from January 1, 2025 to woo a greater number of travellers”, she said, adding that there are plans to organise awareness seminars in Mumbai, New Delhi and Bengaluru and Jubilee Year promotion of the Holy Land in Kochi, Chennai, Goa, Guwahati, Bengaluru and Hyderabad, which have a larger Christian population. The Jubilee year runs from December 2024 to December 2025.

In 2018, Israel welcomed 70,800 Indian tourists. Despite the pandemic-induced lockdown, tourism accelerated in 2022, achieving impressive numbers even without significant active campaigns.