Israel: Inbound tourism down by 76% in last 9 months

A picture shows the empty Red Sea shore in the southern Israeli resort city of Eilat on 17 April 2020 [MENAHEM KAHANA/AFP via Getty Images]

Israel’s Central Bureau of Statistics has announced that inbound tourism in Israel has retreated by 76.5 per cent since the start of the year, Quds Press reported on Wednesday.

Reporting Israeli media, Quds Press disclosed that only 837,000 tourists visited Israel between the start of 2020 and the end of September.

Foreigners are unable to enter Israel unless they have permission issued by the Housing Ministry, and any foreign visitor must spend 14 days in quarantine.

According to Israel’s Central Bureau of Statistics, 15,500 tourists visited Israel in September, compared with 436,500 in September 2019.

Israeli authorities have been imposing restrictions on the entry of foreigners since the middle of March, due to the outbreak of COVID-19.

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