Israeli Tourist Spending in Romania Skyrockets 211% This Summer

New data from Romania's payment market reveals a significant surge in Israeli tourism, with Israeli credit card spending in the country jumping 211% during July and August 2026 compared to the same period last year. This dramatic increase, reported by payment processor Global Payments, more than doubles the previous year's spending and positions the Israeli market as a key driver of inbound tourism growth for Romania.

The rise aligns with earlier industry estimates predicting Romania would welcome approximately 150,000 additional tourists, partly due to perceived safety concerns in other regions, including tensions with Iran, leading travelers to seek out European destinations considered more secure.

Israeli tourists are notable not only for the overall spending increase but also for their average transaction amount. On average, an Israeli tourist spent 234 Romanian lei (approximately 160 shekels) per transaction using their card. While Israelis showed a substantial increase, Irish tourists led in average spending per transaction at 331 lei, followed by Americans at 252 lei.

This growth trend is not exclusive to Israelis. Overall foreign tourist spending via credit cards in Romania during the summer months increased by 63%, reaching nearly a quarter of a billion lei, with the total number of tourist transactions rising by 52%. Tourists from Ukraine also saw a significant jump in spending, up 150.9%, with their transaction volume increasing by 80%, propelling Ukraine to fifth place among source markets for Romanian tourism, up from tenth.

Bucharest remains the primary destination for foreign tourist payments, with over 160 million lei spent via international cards in the capital during the summer, a 45% increase from the previous year. Other cities like Constanta, Timisoara, and Brasov each recorded over 44 million lei in tourist spending, with Iasi and Bacau also experiencing sharp increases.