Israeli tourism was 13% below pre-Covid levels in 2019 in the first half of 2023, according to the latest figures from the Central Bureau of Statistics. 2.11 million foreign visitors entered Israel in the first six months of 2023, compared with 1.04 million visitors in the first half of 2022, when Covid restrictions were still in force, and the record 2.42 million visitors in 2019, before the pandemic.
In June 2023, 355,200 foreign visitors entered Israel including 322,900 tourists who stayed at least one night. This compares with 252,300 foreign visitors in June 2022 and 384,000 in June 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 six months of 2023, Israelis made 4.5 million trips abroad, reports the Central Bureau of Statistics. In June 2023, Israelis made 979,400 trips abroad.
Published by Globes, Israel business news - en.globes.co.il - on July 6, 2023.
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