The ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas has led to a significant decline in tourism across Israel. Tour agencies that spoke with The Media Line described a drop in international tourists compounded by fewer Israelis traveling during these difficult times. As these travel agencies grapple with a lack of clients, their concerns about the potential long-term impact of the war, even after it concludes, are growing.
The ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas has led to a significant decline in tourism across Israel. Tour agencies that spoke with The Media Line described a drop in international tourists compounded by fewer Israelis traveling during these difficult times. As these travel agencies grapple with a lack of clients, their concerns about the potential long-term impact of the war, even after it concludes, are growing.
Trip cancellations are of top concern, according to Judith Barzilai, whose husband owns the Israeli tour agency Netive Shalom (Lanes of Peace), which specializes in organizing trips within Israel and facilitating travel for Israelis to MENA-region countries.
“We had trips [planned] for outside of Israel, including a lot of work with Arab countries. We booked for people to go to Sinai, Jordan, Turkey, and the Emirates, and all of this had come to a stop. We had to cancel trips because people don’t want to go there; we had a lot of tourists who had to cancel,” Barzilai told The Media Line.
According to Munib Abu Asab, who owns the 23-year-old tour agency Abu Asab Tours and Travels in Jerusalem’s Old City, tour agencies are particularly vulnerable and heavily affected by the war.
“We are directly associated with airports, and if the airports are not active, then we are not active, so we are required to close our offices,” Abu Asab told The Media Line.
While the current situation has not only halted a significant influx of tourists into Israel before the conflict, it has also slowed domestic tourism. Arthur Aharonov, vice president of marketing at Israel’s Ben Harim Tours, conveyed to The Media Line that business has been affected “significantly” because the number of tourists coming from abroad “is now close to zero.” He also linked current economic challenges with many Israelis now serving in the army. “Business is slow in terms of [domestic] tourism,” he lamented.
No tourists
Tour agencies organizing tours to and throughout the Holy Land are grappling with the harsh reality of having zero clients due to a substantial surge in apprehension among foreigners. The repercussions of the war are likely to have a long-term heavy impact on those who once desired to visit the Holy Land but are now hesitant to do so.
Fayez AbdelNour, whose Bible Land Tours has been operating since 1956 on Salah ad-Din Street, specializes in organizing trips for groups from abroad interested in embarking on a six-to-eight-day Christian pilgrimage within Israel. He told The Media Line that since the beginning of the war, people who had already booked trips had become very concerned. “After a week or two into the war, people began to ask questions and were canceling their trips to Israel,” he explained.
“People have been canceling their trips [that were scheduled] from November all the way up to April,” he said, adding that “if there were to be a movement in [renewing] tourism, it would be at the end of next year.”
While most people have canceled or postponed their travel into or out of Israel until the conflict subsides, The Media Line managed to speak with some individuals who have grappled with the challenges of arriving in or departing from Israel since Oct. 7.
Amir Abu Shanab, a 25-year-old, had planned a family trip to Switzerland scheduled for Oct. 20. Having booked flights two months in advance, their well-laid plans were abruptly disrupted when the outbreak of war led to the cancellation of their flight by the airline.
“Even if they had not canceled our flight, we wouldn’t have traveled either way because there are safety reasons to look out for, and it isn’t a reasonable time to travel,” Abu Shanab told The Media Line.
In contrast, Bar Mor had planned her trip to Thailand with her husband ten months in advance and left six days before the outbreak of the war. After the war began, both were compelled to prolong their stay in Thailand.
“We knew our flight wasn’t going to get canceled because we flew with El Al, which didn’t cancel any flights. People who flew with other companies needed to find other ways to get back to Israel quicker, but we knew we were going to arrive back safely,” she told The Media Line.
Upon returning to Israel, Mor noted that Ben Gurion Airport was utterly deserted.
“The airport was empty, as was our flight. In Israel, the security wasn’t intense, but the security in Thailand was a little harsher, with a lot more questions,” she said.
Another traveler, 24-year-old Adam Barhoum, shared with The Media Line his firsthand account of booking a trip to Cyprus to visit a friend during the third week of the war. His narrative mirrored Mor’s experience.
“The airport was very empty, and when we were there, the sirens went off. The security check to Cyprus was intense, but upon our arrival back to Israel, it wasn’t,” he said.
When asked about the experience of traveling abroad during wartime, Mor highlighted the challenge of disconnecting from the situation and everyone back home.
“During the first couple of days, it was really hard to let go of our phones and stop reading the news. It was such a weird experience to be so far away from what was happening, especially when there was so much suffering going on in Israel,” she stated.
Echoing this sentiment, Barhoum expressed that his thoughts were consistently directed toward home, expressing apprehension about the prospect of returning to Israel.
“The vacation wasn’t what I thought because of what was going on back home, and it was always on my mind, there were always these concerns, including if my flight home would get canceled.”
Lana Ikelan is a recent graduate of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and an intern in The Media Line’s Press and Policy Student Program.