Israel’s Tourism Turning Point

Chad Martin, Director, Israel Ministry of Tourism, Northeast Region

Israel’s Tourism Turning Point

Turning points are easy to spot in the rearview mirror, but seldom do you get the sense that the tides are changing towards progress before your very eyes. In May, I did. I witnessed flashes of Israel’s tourism recovery unfold even while a conflict is unresolved and our hostages unreturned.

In May, I had the opportunity to join a trip to Israel by industry leaders to demonstrate that tourism to Israel still lives and breathes. The group wanted to show the travel industry that Israel is open, hotels, tour operators and new attractions are in the waiting, and even more meaningful, transformative journeys are possible. Not only was I overcome with gratitude for this initiative, but seeing its potential impact, I asked to join.

On the first day of the trip, we landed and immediately explored new sites such as the Pools of Siloam, an active excavation going back over 2,500 years to the first Temple period…it was discovered when trying to fix a sewage pipe in Jerusalem (you never know what lies beneath a 5,000 year old city). Later in the trip, we visited Magdala, birthplace of Mary of Magdalene, which was only discovered in 2009 when the Catholic Church broke ground for a hotel on the Sea of Galilee. They have since uncovered synagogues where Jesus almost certainly preached. In Israel, even our oldest history can be brand new.

During a lunch conversation at a majestic winery in the Golan Heights, I was asked how our group could help tourism recover. Right now, although there are many solidarity groups, mainstream travel is yet to resume. My answer, given amidst a verdant biblical landscape was, ‘you’re doing it right now.’ Israel is sold through stories of firsthand experiences. I explained that we need travel professionals to visit Israel and share their stories of meaning, fun and safety. If they have been to the Holy Land even 20 times before but not since 10/7, they need to come again now. This group was leading the way. Many clients will need the reassurance that their travel advisor has visited recently. When industry leaders visit it shows advisors they can come too. This was the first step.

Of course, no visit could go on without traveling to the Gaza envelope to pay respects and bear witness to the victims of 10/7. We did just that, while taking in the complexity and tragedy unfolding in Gaza as a result of the Hamas regime. The attacks of 10/7 will be a difficult subject to cover but it is of paramount importance to incorporate them into the visits of our tourists and will be for years to come.

We may have a long road to recovery, but our path forward is revealing itself. I am proud to have been with such great leaders as we took the first steps together. We now look forward to the next step: having travel advisors with us in Israel to kick off our recovery in the coming months.