At the start of March of 2020, Israel was in the midst of what was expected to be the beginning of the busiest tourism year ever, continuing a trend from the previous years of record breaking visitors. Then everything came to a crashing halt with news of coronavirus. Israel closed its borders to all non-resident travel. At the time we thought it would be a short time before we would see the reopening of tourism to Israel, but little did we know it would be over a year before we would start to see hope.
Finally, we have guidelines for the first stages of the reopening of tourism to Israel and welcoming our friends, new and old to the Holy Land again.
There have been many questions to Immanuel Tours regarding the reopening of tourism to Israel and what it would entail. We want to make it clear that at this point, everything is in continuous flux and can change from one day to the next. This is however what we know right now.
The Reopening of Tourism to Israel Starting May 23rd
As of May 23rd, tourism can resume as long as the same conditions currently required of its own citizens. This includes the following;
- Only organized groups will be allowed entry to begin.
- All participants must show proof of vaccination.
- Tourists will be required to take a PCR coronavirus test before boarding a plane to Israel. Upon arrival in Israel, they will have to take both a PCR test and a serological test, which proves the existence of antibodies.
It is important to remember that this is just the first steps in the reopening of tourism to Israel. These requirements will certainly change and evolve as the pandemic continues to decline and Israel becomes more confident in its ability to welcome visitors without compromising its citizens’ health and the stability of its healthcare system.
It is expected that the next step will be opening the skies to individual travelers using the same regulations currently laid out for group travel sometime in July. From there it will progress to developing regulations regarding unvaccinated visitors, both in groups and individuals.
At this point, there are no regulations for non vaccinated groups apart from a full 14 day quarantine.
We all hope and pray that be the fall of 2021 there will be no limitations regardless of vaccination status.
Will I Be Able To Come to Israel Without a Vaccine?
We understand that there are many who may be choosing to not be vaccinated and while you will not be able to come right away, the day will come, hopefully very soon, when you will be able to come to Israel again without any vaccination restrictions. Please stay tuned to the latest developments on our COVID-19 information page where we will continue to offer the latest information on how the reopening of tourism to Israel is progressing.
How is Immanuel Tours Handling the Reopening of Tourism to Israel?
We at Immanuel Tours are continuing our legacy of exceptional service and are more than excited to get back to what we do best. Our wonderful tour operators and staff have been furloughed during this whole time and we have sorely missed them, and we know they have missed their positions and groups as well! We look forward to welcoming them back with this news.
Immanuel Tours will be undergoing specialized certification provided by the Incoming Tour Operators Association on the best practices to keep you safe and healthy, as well as still providing an engaging, meaningful and enjoyable experience. A few things we will be doing is installing air filters on our buses to clean the air of germs more efficiently and adding new enhanced cleaning between tours. We will be issuing further efforts soon.
In the midst of ongoing regulation changes, please remember that Immanuel Tours offers you the chance to plan your tour with no money down until 120 days prior to arrival. This is to bring you confidence in planning for the future until the reopening of tourism to Israel opens up to a level you and your group are comfortable with. There is no reason to wait to plan your holy land adventure!
Overall, this is good news! Again, we are hoping that the country will be fully open to tourism by the fall regardless of vaccination status. If you are interested in planning a tour, CONTACT US TODAY! Many have been waiting to hear hope of the reopening of tourism to Israel so we expect an increase in demand.
