Israelis Flock Abroad as Tourism to Israel Lags Significantly
Translated & summarized from Now 14 by baba
Israeli travel abroad saw a 33% increase in 2025, reaching 9.4 million departures. Meanwhile, inbound tourism rose to 1.3 million visitors, but remains significantly below pre-war levels, creating a notable gap in travel and spending.
The story in 5 lines · by baba
- Israeli departures abroad jumped 33% to 9.4 million in 2025.
- Inbound tourism reached 1.3 million visitors, a 37.1% increase.
- Israelis spent 46.3 billion shekels on travel in 2025.
- Foreign tourist spending in Israel totaled 12.1 billion shekels.
- Hotel stays by Israelis decreased while tourist stays increased.
Israeli departures abroad surged by approximately 33% in 2025, reaching 9.4 million, a significant increase from the previous year. This surge in outbound travel contrasts sharply with the inbound tourism figures, which, despite a 37.1% rise to 1.3 million visitors in 2025, remain considerably lower than pre-war levels.
The financial implications of this trend are substantial. Israelis spent 46.3 billion shekels on domestic and international travel in 2025, up from 38.3 billion in 2024. Conversely, foreign tourist spending in Israel reached 12.1 billion shekels in 2025, an increase from 9.2 billion in 2024, but still reflecting a gap in overall revenue.
Hotel occupancy data further illustrates this disparity. While total hotel stays in Israel saw a slight decrease to 21 million in 2025 from 22.5 million in 2024, Israeli stays dropped from 20.7 million to 17.8 million. In contrast, tourist stays increased to 3.1 million from 1.9 million.
Despite the dip in overall stays, the tourism sector's contribution to Israel's GDP rose to 1.7% in 2025, and it employed about 3.2% of the workforce. The data indicates a partial recovery in inbound tourism, but highlights a persistent imbalance between Israelis traveling abroad and the volume of international visitors to Israel.
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