Israel eyes return to pre-Covid Indian tourist levels of around 69,000 by 2027

Mumbai: Israel, which witnessed a double crisis of Covid-19 and the war, is expecting to recover and reach the 2019 level of around 69,000 visitors from India by 2027, a senior representative of the Israel Ministry of Tourism said.

Israel received 65,100 visitors from India in 2019.

"We faced crises like Covid-19 and then the war, which affected our tourism industry. In 2019, we welcomed 65,100 visitors from India. If everything is positive and we get enough campaigns and promotions like we did in 2019, it should take us another year and a half or two years- that is, 2027- to reach around 69,000 level," Galit Hoffman, Consul - Tourism Affairs, India, told PTI.

After the Covid-19 crisis, which affected the travel industry worldwide, Israel entered a war with Hamas on October 7, 2023, impacting the tourism sector as many countries suspended flights to the Middle Eastern country.

In 2024, Israel welcomed 9,600 tourists from India who majorly went for pilgrimage and 12,500 travellers in 2025, according to data shared by the Israel Ministry of Tourism.

"This growth will get a boost from resuming international flights and direct flights from India being restored," Hoffman added.

She said, Israir Airlines plans to launch direct flights from Tel Aviv to Delhi and Mumbai by April 2026, aiming to boost Israel-India travel connectivity.

"Meanwhile, Arkia Airlines is exploring direct flights to destinations like Goa, Kochi, and Mumbai. Hopefully, this will happen shortly this year. Air India already directly connects Delhi and Tel Aviv and hopefully, Mumbai will join soon this year," she added.

She further stated that India is important for Israel as it is the eighth source market globally and in Asia, it is at the top followed by China, South Korea and the Philippines.

"Therefore, our focus this year will be on countries including the US, the UK, India and the Philippines," Hoffman said.

In 2026, besides pilgrims, the focus will be on segments including leisure, families, MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conferences, and Exhibitions) and couples.

She said Israel offers an e-visa facility, which takes around 10 business days for travellers along with a unique feature like the family e-visa.

"Our e-visa has a very unique feature that specifies individual or family. So, as a family member, one can have their ID, which is like the head ID, and then all the rest of the IDs, 4 or 5, can be attached to it, and then that will be linked together. So, we offer this facility to promote families traveling together to Israel," she added.

In terms of promotions, she said Israel is currently focusing on promoting in India's metro and Tier I cities.

"The bigger cities are your focus as of now, but Tier II and III cities also generate a good number of tourists in India. However, since our clock clicked back to pre-Covid times, we are again focused on Tier I cities, promoting and educating people about the product first. Also, if there are opportunities, like the event we are having in Coimbatore, we will visit Tier II and III cities as well. I believe next year we will move to Tier II cities for sure," Hoffman added.