Category: Israel travel news
Israel travel & tourism news for travelers and travel professionals. Israel, a Middle Eastern country on the Mediterranean Sea, is regarded by Jews, Christians and Muslims as the biblical Holy Land. Its most sacred sites are in Jerusalem. Within its Old City, the Temple Mount complex includes the Dome of the Rock shrine, the historic Western Wall, Al-Aqsa Mosque and the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. Israel's financial hub, Tel Aviv, is known for its Bauhaus architecture and beaches.
Israel closes Ben Gurion Airport, halts all passenger flights
Harry S. Johnson- January 25, 2021 16:01Israel will make exceptions only for cargo flights, emergency aircraft and airliners crossing Israeli airspace without landing Read More
The new Bhutan – Israel relationship
The Media Line- December 26, 2020 02:22The tiny South Asian nation only has diplomatic relations with a small number of countries and measures its success based on a national happiness index Israel on Saturday announced that ... Read More
Next Generation COVID-19
Linda Hohnholz, eTN editor- December 24, 2020 02:15A new strain of the coronavirus - the next generation COVID-19 - has emerged and is responsible for a 70 percent increase in infections in London alone. It has also ... Read More
The World may soon re-open again for Green Passport Holders
Juergen T Steinmetz- December 13, 2020 23:16Israel is working on a green passport. This passport will indicate, the holder was vaccinated against COVID-19, and of course, it may have any color. The passport will avoid quarantine ... Read More
Israeli tourists travel to once forbidden lands – thousands every day.
Linda Hohnholz, eTN editor- December 12, 2020 03:13Israel outbound tourism is booming with tens of thousands of Israelis traveling to new destinations. These new destinations had been unreachable ever since the State of Israel became independent. However, ... Read More
UAE & Bahrain first to benefit from Israeli tourism
Harry S. Johnson- December 7, 2020 17:45Arabian Travel Market (ATM), is expecting a huge influx of exhibitors and visitors from Israel and further afield, wanting to take full advantage of Israel’s participation in its first major ... Read More
UAE-bound Israeli commercial flights allowed to cross Saudi airspace
Harry S. Johnson- December 1, 2020 22:28Saudi Arabia's government has officially agreed to let Israeli commercial flights cross its airspace on their way to the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The agreement was reached on Monday evening, just ... Read More
Israel ratifies visa-free agreement with UAE
Harry S. Johnson- November 22, 2020 17:11The Israeli government unanimously ratified a visa-free agreement between the Jewish state and the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The UAE authorities approved a similar agreement with Israel in early November. ... Read More
EL AL Israel Airlines and Etihad Airways explore deeper cooperation
Harry S. Johnson- November 19, 2020 18:29EL AL Israel Airlines, the national airline of Israel, and Etihad Airways, the national airline of the United Arab Emirates, are set to explore deeper cooperation following the signing of ... Read More
Etihad Airways: A Symbol of Peace between Israel and UAE with AUH-TLV flights
Juergen T Steinmetz- November 16, 2020 07:39Flights between the United Arab Emirates and Israel, between Abu Dhabi and Tel Aviv, are more than a symbol of peace. These flights and this now peaceful relationship mean big ... Read More
Ukraine International Airlines cancels two regional destinations with Israel
Harry S. Johnson- November 6, 2020 21:55Effective November 8, 2020, Ukraine International Airlines (UIA) announces cancellation of flights between Lviv and Israel until the end of winter navigation and between Kharkiv and Israel until December 5, ... Read More
IATA: Jordan-Israel airspace agreement will save fuel and time
Harry S. Johnson- October 21, 2020 15:43The International Air Transport Association (IATA) welcomed the recent overflight agreement between the Kingdom of Jordan and State of Israel that allows for flights to cross over both countries’ airspace. ... Read More
Abu Dhabi – Tel Aviv Flights on Etihad Airways
Chief Assignment Editor- October 19, 2020 15:42Etihad Airways, the national airline of the UAE, will become the first GCC carrier to operate a commercial passenger flight to and from Israel, to bring Israel’s top travel and ... Read More
Bahrain – Israel to become friends today
Juergen T Steinmetz- October 17, 2020 20:53A joint US-Israel delegation is meeting in Bahrain today to sign a series of bilateral agreements between Israel and Bahrain, including a so-called Joint Communiqué that will formally establish diplomatic ... Read More
Orit Farkash-Hacohen named Israel’s new Tourism Minister
Harry S. Johnson- October 16, 2020 07:38Earlier this week, the Israel Ministry of Tourism appointed Orit Farkash-Hacohen as the new Tourism Minister. In this position, Farkash-Hacohen will be responsible for working with the Israeli government to ... Read More
Israelis stage festive beach party protests against new COVID-19 lockdown
Harry S. Johnson- September 19, 2020 06:36Dozens of demonstrators, many of them wearing bathing suits and holding anti-government signs, assembled at to Frishman Beach in Tel Aviv to express their displeasure with Israel’s second nationwide COVID-19 ... Read More
Israel preparing to welcome Gulf visitors
The Media Line- September 17, 2020 13:09Israel and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) are in advanced stages of establishing direct aviation routes and concluding bilateral agreements for tourist visas, Israel’s Tourism Ministry has revealed. Only days ... Read More
Lockdown has Consequences: Example Israel
The Media Line- September 14, 2020 08:31Many businesses in Israel are seen at risk of closure from what is being described so far as the world’s only case of a second nationwide shutdown due to the ... Read More
New flights from Tel Aviv to Morocco, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, UAE – and growing
Juergen T Steinmetz- September 12, 2020 23:50Direct connecting Tel Aviv with airports in the UAE, Morocco, Saudi Arabia, and Bahrain will expand the travel and tourism reach in the Middle East. The world for Israelis became ... Read More
Israel and Bahrain agree to sign peace treaty, establishing diplomatic ties
Harry S. Johnson- September 11, 2020 23:43The United States, Israel and Bahrain announced today in a joint statement, that the Kingdom of Bahrain will join the United Arab Emirates in signing a peace treaty and establishing ... Read More
Israel Ministry of Tourism and Museum of the Jewish People to host grand reopening of core exhibition
Harry S. Johnson- September 2, 2020 22:12To announce the newest renovations to the Museum of the Jewish People in Tel Aviv, the Israel Ministry of Tourism (IMOT) has partnered to host a special Grand Reopening Webinar ... Read More
US-Israeli delegation takes first-ever direct flight from Israel to UAE
Harry S. Johnson- August 31, 2020 18:02US and Israeli officials were ion board of the first ever commercial flight between Tel Aviv, Israel and Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, just days after the UAE axed its ... Read More
971 and 972 connected: Tel Aviv to Abu Dhabi nonstop on El Al LY971
Juergen T Steinmetz- August 30, 2020 06:52LY 971 Tel Aviv to Abu Dhabi and LY 972 AUH to TLV nonstop flights on Israel El Al Airlines will be a first between Israel and the United Arab ... Read More
Tel Aviv-Yafo extends invitation to visitors from United Arab Emirates
Harry S. Johnson- August 19, 2020 23:04Tel Aviv-Yafo extended a visually impressive invitation to potential visitors from the United Arab Emirates on Wednesday, shortly after the State of Israel and the UAE announced an agreement for ... Read More
A good reason why Tourism to the UAE is up for a major rebound
The Media Line- August 18, 2020 23:04Israelis will be able to join citizens of other countries as tourists in the United Arab Emirates after the details are finalized following Thursday’s historic announcement of the normalization of ... Read More
No quarantine required: Israel expands ‘green country’ list
Harry S. Johnson- August 18, 2020 15:36Israel's officials announced new additions to the 'green country' list, that allows Israeli citizens not to go into a mandatory quarantine after returning home from certain countries. As part of ... Read More
Non-stop to Tel Aviv from Dubai on Emirates, from Abu Dhabi on Etihad makes Turkish Airlines nervous
The Media Line- August 17, 2020 09:55The historic peace accord between Israel and the United Arab Emirates represents a potential turning point for air travel and business investments in the region, tourism experts believe. While details ... Read More
Trump announces ‘historic peace agreement’ between Israel and United Arab Emirates
Harry S. Johnson- August 14, 2020 00:10US President Donald Trump, in a surprise announcement on Thursday, announced that Israel and the United Arab Emirates had reached a peace agreement. In a joint statement, Trump, Israeli Prime ... Read More
Rebuilding Travel in Israel and the Middle East from the insiders
editor- August 12, 2020 21:27The political and security situation in the Middle East has always been difficult, and with COVID-19 it has not become easier. "Everyone is on its own", said Dr. Taleb Rifai. ... Read More
Facial Recognition that Sees Through a Mask
The Media Line- July 26, 2020 20:31A groundbreaking artificial intelligence-powered facial recognition system that can identify people wearing masks has been deployed by law enforcement and intelligence agencies around the globe. Developed by Corsight AI, a ... Read More
Economics rule reopening travel to Dubai, Egypt, Lebanon, Qatar, Tunisia despite epidemic?
The Media Line- July 25, 2020 06:09Arab countries, particularly those heavily dependent on tourism such as Dubai, Egypt, and Lebanon, are taking different approaches when loosening the closures they imposed on their borders and airports to ... Read More
Iran claims US fighter jets ‘endangered’ Mahan Air passenger plane
Harry S. Johnson- July 24, 2020 00:55Iranian media claims that US Air Force fighter jets 'unsafely intercepted' Iran's Mahan Air passenger aircraft en route from Tehran to Beirut, causing 'injuries' to several passengers. Earlier Iranian officials ... Read More
Pegasus Airlines resuming flights to Tel Aviv
Harry S. Johnson- July 9, 2020 16:18Following the temporary suspension of flights as part of the restrictions to combat the COVID-19 pandemic, Pegasus Airlines flights to Tel Aviv are resuming. The three-times weekly flights, which will ... Read More
Israeli Night Union joins International Nightlife Association
Harry S. Johnson- June 27, 2020 00:17The Israeli Bar and Nightclub Association (Israel Night Union) joined the International Nightlife Association. With this new entry, the International Nightlife Association has presence in 19 countries already, with member ... Read More
Israel will reopen borders to international tourism from Greece on August 1
Harry S. Johnson- June 17, 2020 19:07Yesterday, Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met with Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakisis to discuss reopening tourism between the two countries, which is set to begin on August 1, 2020. ... Read More
Israel Tourism announces Purple Standard for re-opening and operating hotels
Harry S. Johnson- June 3, 2020 19:59In preparation for reopening Israel to both domestic and international tourism, Israel’s Ministry of Tourism and Ministry of Health have outlined a new “Purple Standard” for operating hotels in the ... Read More