It’s no secret that tourism is down in Israel. But it’s starting to come back, considering the timeless appeal of the country’s religious and historic sites, its warm beaches, acclaimed cuisine and friendly people. During our travels in Israel in April and May, we felt safe.
As the late Tom Petty sang, “Most things I worry ’bout, Never happen anyway.” It would be a shame not to see Israel because of fear.
There’s Jerusalem where the Western Wall, the Dome of the Rock, the Via Dolorosa, the City of David and David’s Tower bring tourists face to face with Bible times. There’s secular Tel Aviv, with its beaches and Bauhaus architecture, fine dining and brilliant museums.
The fortress of Masada where zealots fought the Romans, the Sea of Galilee, and even the final resting place of Princess Alice, grandmother of King Charles, are all worthy of visitation. And there’s the Nova Festival memorial site.
How safe is travel to Israel? After all, the country is in the midst of what has been described as a “seven-front war,” which is finally winding down. The number one question we got when we returned from Israel was “Weren’t you afraid?”
For my wife and I, the short answer was “No.” We spent ten days there and felt comfortable. Of course, we do live in Los Angeles, where we were greeted on our return by someone breaking into our car, followed by a week of rioting.
In Israel, you’ll occasionally see a military jet or hear a helicopter overhead. You’ll see a beautiful girl or a paunchy reservist carrying an M-16. It quickly becomes part of the scenery, like people playing matkot (an Israeli paddle ball game) at the beach in Tel Aviv or large religious families navigating the streets of Jerusalem. In the North or South you might see the occasional tank transporter schlepping a Merkava, but in Tel Aviv the streets are packed with tables of outdoor diners.
Yes, the tiny country important to three of the world’s great religions has been embroiled in a multifront war since October 7, 2023. On that day, several thousand terrorists launched an assault from Gaza that killed, injured or kidnapped more than 1500 people.
Yes, the most visited destination in Israel is currently the Nova Music Festival site, where more than 360 young people were murdered on October 7. International and local visitors recognize the importance of this memorial.
During our visit, we traveled from the shores of the Mediterranean in Tel Aviv to East Jerusalem and the Mount of Olives. We drove to the Nova Festival in the south to the Galilee and the Golan in the North. We felt comfortable and welcome everywhere, whether traveling by car or taking the Jerusalem to Tel Aviv train or buses.
We experienced two missile attacks. In Jerusalem, the alarms went off at 6:30AM on Shabbat. We got up and went to the stairwell of the Orient Hotel for a few minutes. When the missile was intercepted by Iron Dome, the alarms stopped.
A few days later, we were driving to the North from Jerusalem when a Houthi hypersonic missile evaded Iron Dome. It landed near Ben Gurion Airport, creating a crater in the parking lot. No one was injured, but many foreign carriers canceled or postponed flights. But our El Al flight to Paris two days later was unaffected, departing right on time.
El Al, and fellow Israeli airlines Arkia and Israir, have the reputation of flying even when other airlines cancel. El Al is currently the only airline flying nonstop from Los Angeles to Tel Aviv. Delta is set to return to flying to Ben Gurion after August 31, 2025. American Airlines has no plans to resume flights until at least September.
That has resulted in high pricing on El Al. For non-stop flights from LAX on August 6, returning on August, I found two El Al economy fares, one $5162, the other $5892.
You have a little more choice if you fly from the NY area, where Arkia and United join El Al in flying nonstop to Israel, a ten-and-a-half-hour flight. A non-stop on El Al from JFK to Israel on August 6, returning on August 20, is $4235, while a United roundtrip on the same dates is $3898. If you have more time than money, one-stops are available for much less. For example, JFK to TLV via AUH (Abu Dhabi) roundtrip on Etihad over those dates costs only $1653 but takes 24 hours from JFK to Israel and 32 hours to return.
Faced with such costs and wait times, travelers from the U.S. to Israel often choose to connect via Europe. Tourist Israel lists many carriers flying to Israel here.
My wife and I flew from LAX to Rome on Norse Atlantic Airlines and returned to LAX from Paris. Both flights were in Norse’s Premium Class. We flew into Israel from Athens, and flew out of Israel to Paris, both on El Al flights. The total cost per person was about $2800 round trip, a huge savings in money, if not time, over the $5,000-plus El Al non-stops from LAX.
To visit Israel, Americans now need a visa, also called an ETA-IL(Electronic Travel Authorization). It costs about $30 and allows you to visit for up to 90 days. It’s a simple and fast process if you are eligible. In our case, my wife got a visa that was sufficient for both of us as we were traveling together.
The screening process starts with the visa and continues at the airport. Patience during the airport questioning is key. It’s important to remember that those pesky questions are to keep you safe. From the screening to the questioning to the luggage checks to landing far from the terminal at Ben Gurion (a bus takes you there) airlines flying to Israel, particularly El Al, are vigilant. While the seemingly repetitive questioning can be irritating, it’s worth contrasting with America’s reliance on technology and “security theater” like randomly searching grandmothers.
In Israel, the ever-present security becomes part of the landscape and made us feel safe throughout the country. Israelis are friendly and curious (if sometimes brusque) and Israel’s tourism industry is an important one. You will not encounter tourist go home sentiments like Barcelona or Venice, although you may get an incredulous “You came?”
The State Department website considers Israel a Level 3 out of possible 4 levels of travel warning. The advisory says, “Reconsider travel due to terrorism, and civil unrest. The security situation in Israel, including Tel Aviv and Jerusalem is unpredictable.”
For context, State lists 42 countries currently at a Level 3 or Level 4 safety level. This includes 23 countries at Level 3 (“Reconsider Travel”) and 19 countries at Level 4 (“Do Not Travel”) Some of the Level 3 countries include Colombia, Egypt, Guatemala, Honduras, Jamaica, Nicaragua, Nigeria, Trinidad and Tobago, and Uganda. Russia, Syria, and Ukraine are Level 4 countries.
During our visit, Israeli life seemed normal or even joyous, as on Independence Day. Yet even with the beaches and the cafes filled, the mood ranged from happy to sad. Yellow chairs, yellow ribbons, posters and stickers demanded freedom for the hostages and commemorated the dead. A sticker showed a smiling young paratrooper who had gotten his wings permanently.
As I write this, 50 Israelis remained hostages in Gaza after more than 650 days. A young waitress in an upscale restaurant near Tel Aviv’s Dizengoff Square Fountain told us she lost eight friends at the Nova Music Festival. The fountain itself has become the repository of memory, with mementoes and possessions of the missing and dead neatly arranged around the fountain.
Nonetheless, the museums, the music, the clubs, the ancient sites, and the people of Israel are all waiting for tourists to return. My son is returning there this fall.
We went. We will go again. Hopefully soon, when the hostages are released and the war is over.