Israel eyes 10,000 Indian tourists in 2024 despite unrest, plans e-visa facility

Amid the ongoing conflict in the Middle East, Israel hopes the number of Indian tourists will reach 10,000 in 2024 and plans to launch an e-visa program for the Indian market early next year to encourage travel to the West Asian country , an official said. said Thursday.

According to Israel Ministry of Tourism (IMOT) India Marketing Director Amruta Bangera, around 8,500 Indian tourists visited the West Asian country till October this year.

“In 2018, the country hosted a record 70,800 Indian visitors. Although the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted global travel, Indian arrivals began to recover in 2022, reaching 30,900 despite minimal promotional campaigns. The momentum continued in 2023 with 41,800 Indian visitors. 2024, 8,500 Indians traveled to Israel between January and October,” she told PTI.

“We hope that by the end of this year, the number of Indian tourists traveling to Israel will reach around 10,000,” she said.

Speaking about the impact of the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas, which has kept West Asia on edge, Bangera claimed: “Israel is safe for tourists and the conflict is limited to the surrounding areas, where tourists are not allowed to venture.” .

“Yes, the conflict and news from the region has affected the flow of tourists. But we hope the situation will improve next year,” she said.

IMOT is optimistic about the potential of the Indian market and is actively working with Indian travel agencies to promote Israel as a preferred tourist destination, she said.

“We plan to launch an e-visa program early next year to attract more tourists from India,” she said.

Bangera said that despite the ongoing geopolitical challenges in the Middle East, Israel has seen a steady recovery in global tourism.

The country saw a peak of 4.9 million international visitors in 2019. While the pandemic nearly halted travel, Israel welcomed more than 2.6 million tourists in 2022 and 3.1 million in 2023.

“In 2024, the number of international tourists to Israel was 920,000 between January and October,” she said.

The ongoing conflict in the Middle East escalated dramatically after the Palestinian militant group Hamas launched a large-scale attack on Israel from Gaza on October 7, 2023, killing around 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and kidnapping around 250.

Hezbollah began attacking Israel from Lebanon on October 8 in solidarity with Hamas, prompting Israel to launch extensive military campaigns in both Gaza and southern Lebanon.

More than 43,800 Palestinians, including many women and children, have been killed in Gaza, while more than 3,400 people have died in Lebanon due to Israeli bombardment, 80% of these casualties occurring in the past month.

Israeli deaths include 76 people, 31 of whom were soldiers.

Israel has vowed to weaken Hezbollah’s military capabilities in Lebanon, while its war in Gaza has led to devastating casualties, exacerbating the humanitarian crisis in the region.