Jerusalem Welcomes Back Tourists as Israel Opens Up for Vaccinated Travellers

Before the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic, Israel in general and Jerusalem in particular enjoyed widespread popularity among tourists. In 2019, the country registered some 4.55 million visitors, but COVID-19 didn’t give the city the chance to repeat this success in 2020. Now authorities are hopeful that the situation will improve.

Israel has opened its doors for individual vaccinated tourists after months that the country has been closed down for foreigners, as a result of the raging coronavirus pandemic.

Starting today, Israel will welcome individuals who have been vaccinated with two doses of internationally recognised vaccines, if they got the jab no latter than half a year prior to their arrival. It will also allow in individuals who had received a booster or who can prove that they have recently recovered from the virus.

Enthusiasm is Up

In Jerusalem, the decision to open up the country has been met with growing enthusiasm.

"I used to get requests every day from people who want to visit Jerusalem," said Fleur Hassan-Nahoum, the deputy mayor of the city. "The demand to come here has always been there but the opening date has been pushed several times so people were wary of booking tickets until it was officially open," she added.

Now, under the new policy, authorities are hopeful that the city that for years has been considered Israel's number one tourist destination will welcome international visitors.

Israel is counting on tourists from the US and European countries, as well as the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain, which both normalised relations with Israel in 2020. The two Gulf countries recently inked an "unprecedented" travel corridor deal with Israel for the vaccinated. The same arrangement has also been reached between Israel and a number of European Union countries.

"Jerusalem is one of the most beautiful and ancient cities and it has much to offer," said Hassan-Nahoum.

"We combine the past, with its layers upon layers of history, with an exciting future. We boast a fusion of cuisines, music which combines the East and the West and incredible hospitality. There is never a dull moment here," she added.

Reversing the Trend

Before the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic in February 2020, Jerusalem attracted nearly 80 percent of all of Israel’s incoming tourists, who poured into the city to see its four main tourist sights: the Western Wall, the Jewish quarter, the Church of the Holy Sepulchre and Via Dolorosa.

In 2019, Israel in general and Jerusalem in particular enjoyed an unprecedented surge in popularity among travellers, registering 4.55 million, an 11 percent jump from 2018. They injected more than $7 billion into the country's economy.

With Israel now welcoming the tourists, the hope is that the nation will be able repeat its past success. But Hassan-Nahoum says the nation should be cautious, whereas the opening should be "careful and gradual" to make sure that COVID-19 is kept in check.

"It will take time until we go back to the pre-coronavirus levels. But people around the world trust our health system, our regulations and the way we handled the pandemic. And I think with time we will be able to overcome this challenge and become even a more attractive tourist destination."