Israeli tourism is still struggling to return to pre-Covid levels. 1.76 million foreign visitors entered Israel in the first five months of 2023, the Central Bureau of Statistics reports. This compares with 791,300 visitors in the corresponding period of 2022, when Covid restrictions were still in force, and the record 2.03 million visitors in 2019, before the pandemic.
In May 2023, 411,100 foreign visitors entered Israel including 376,400 tourists who stayed at least one night. This compares with 262,700 foreign visitors in May 2022 (249,200 stayed at least one night) and 465,700 (439,900 stayed at least one night) in May 2019.
Israel recorded 2.9 million entries into the country in 2022, of which 2.7 million were tourists who stayed at least one night, according to figures from the Central Bureau of Statistics. Restrictions on the entry of foreign tourists into Israel were only fully removed in May 2022 and as a result tourist numbers still have a long way to go to surpass the record 4.9 million entries into Israel in 2019 before the pandemic, including a record 4.5 million tourists who stayed at least one night.
At the same time the number of Israelis traveling abroad exceeds pre-pandemic levels. In the first five months of 2023, Israelis made 3.6 million trips abroad, reports the Central Bureau of Statistics. In May 2023, Israelis made 779,300 trips abroad.
Published by Globes, Israel business news - en.globes.co.il - on June 7, 2023.
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