US Travel to Israel Breaking Pre-Pandemic Records

U.S. travelers are heading to Israel in record-breaking numbers.

As Israel celebrates its Diamond Jubilee in 2023, travel to the country from the U.S. has increased 12 percent over the same time period in 2029. And in June of this year, that number increased by 13 percent over the same record-breaking period in 2019.

“These statistics are extremely encouraging” said Eyal Carlin, Commissioner of Tourism to North America. “Between March of 2020 and May of 2022, our country was closed to incoming tourism. Since we reopened and people are traveling in droves, we expect 2023 to be a banner year for Israel, especially from North America; even better than what we saw in 2019, which was our best year to date.”

June 2023 showed a 27 percent increase from 2022 with the most tourists to Israel traveling from the U.S., followed by France, Russia, the United Kingdom, Germany and Italy. These numbers however don’t reflect day visitors or cruise ship passengers.

Tourists to Israel in 2023 are experiencing the well-known destinations, such as Jerusalem’s holy sites and the captivating city of Tel Aviv, but also some of the unfamiliar places such as the Negev Desert Wine Route or SCUBA diving at an underwater archaeological excavation site. One-of-a-kind experiences including a sleepover at a Bedouin camp or attending the International Jerusalem Jazz Festival at the Israel Museum are also on travelers’ radar.

Carlin added “As a country, we are heavily investing in tourism. New hotels and resorts are helping to increase our room inventory while new food, wine and spirits destinations add to the overall excitement along with our many outdoor adventure opportunities as well as arts and culture experiences. Travelers are still arriving in Israel to experience what we’re known for—our holy and ancient sites—but they return home with their expectations exceeded as they discover some of the lesser-known destinations.”