Israel’s tourism industry loses $1.5 billion due to war and insecurity.
One of the major sectors of the Israeli economy that has been severely affected since the start of the Gaza war in October 2023 has been the tourism industry. The Israeli Central Bureau of Statistics has released data on the number of foreign tourist visits to the occupied territories in 2024, which shows a significant decrease compared to 2023.
According to the report, 974.4 thousand foreign tourists arrived in the occupied territories last year, while this figure was about 3.2 million in 2023.
The decline in foreign tourist arrivals has caused great damage to the Israeli economy. The tourism industry in occupied Palestine was operated by about 150 companies with 2,500 employees, but now only about 1,000 people continue to work in this field.
In this regard, Israeli Tourism Minister Haim Katz announced that $19.5 million (70 million shekels) will be allocated to maintain essential workers in foreign tour operators until the end of 2024, as without special assistance, these jobs will be destroyed, along with tens of thousands of other jobs, including tourist attractions, guides, restaurants, buses and drivers.
Considering that about 65,000 households in the occupied territories earn their living mainly through tourism, it is possible to understand how great the losses have been.