Tourist Arrivals to Israel Hit Highest Level Since COVID-19 Outbreak

A total of 262,700 visitors arrived in Israel in May, of whom 249,200 were tourists – the highest monthly number since the COVID-19 outbreak in early 2020, the Israeli Central Bureau of Statistics reported on Tuesday. But this is still far fewer than the number of tourists who arrived in May 2019 – pre-pandemic – when 439,900 tourists arrived in the Jewish state. The number of tourists arriving in the country has grown steadily over the past three months, with a total of 629,800 arrivals recorded in March-May, the bureau said. The average number of visits per month during this period – 209,933 – is four times the monthly average of 52,200 visits for the previous three-month period, December 2021 to February 2022. Jerusalem has been easing the restrictions imposed on the tourism industry in the fight against COVID-19. On March 1, the country opened its borders to foreign visitors who are unvaccinated against COVID-19. Vaccinated and recovered tourists were permitted entry two months earlier.