Tourism in Israel is enjoying a significant return in the first half of the year, and the number of Romanian tourists in Israel registered an impressive increase of 7% compared to 2019.
According to official statistical data, in the first 6 months of 2023, 50.000 Romanian tourists visited Israel, a remarkable figure that reflects the growing attraction of Israel as a preferred tourist destination for Romanians. This performance is all the more remarkable considering the current context and recovery period of the tourism industry.
Regarding the total number of tourists who arrived in Israel in the last month, we see a significant increase in May 2023, with a total of 376.400 tourists. There is an increase from the 249.200 tourists registered in May last year, but it is still lower than in the pre-coronavirus period (2019), when a number of 439.900 tourists were registered.
The top source countries are the USA with 443.000 tourists, France with 114.500, Germany with 95.900, Great Britain with 94.700 and Russia with 88.300.
Israel is preparing to receive more tourists both through short-term rental platforms and through investments in Ben Gurion airport.
In this context, Airbnb, the global home rental platform, has become an attractive financial opportunity for residents of Tel Aviv and Jerusalem. Airbnb hosts in the two Israeli cities have made significant incomes in recent years.
In Tel Aviv, for example, an average apartment rented through the platform brought hosts about $15.000 a year. In Jerusalem, the situation is similar, with hosts earning an average of about $13.000 annually. Thus, Tel Aviv is in fifth place in a list of cities around the world with the highest average monthly rents on the Airbnb platform, and Jerusalem is in 10th place.
These figures come from a study by Compare the Market, which looked at the average monthly cost to rent either an apartment or an Airbnb property in 90 of the most popular tourist hotspots.
In parallel, 2,2 million passengers are expected to pass through Ben Gurion Airport in the coming period, an increase of 4% compared to the peak season of 2019. On the busiest days, approximately 100.000 passengers pass through the airport, which operates approximately 600 flights, with an average take-off or landing every 2,5 minutes. The airport prepared to accommodate passengers by massively recruiting employees and streamlining check-in services.