Israel Promises to Not Close Its Borders Again

Minister of Tourism Yoel Razvozov (center left) and President Isaac Herzog (center right) kick off a tourism conference this week. Photo: Israel Ministry of Tourism

We’ve reported it a couple of times in recent months already, in a some instances prematurely, but Israel really is reopened for tourism, and government officials now promise it won’t again be closed.

Kicking off a tourism conference earlier this week, Tourism Minister Yoel Razvozov acknowledged that “certainty is important for the tourism industry. Therefore, I am proud to announce that after conversations with Prime Minister Naftali Bennett, we agreed that there is no possibility of closing the skies to tourists.”

For nearly two years as the coronavirus pandemic ravaged Israel, the nation’s borders were closed to non-citizens. This had a nearly-fatal impact on tourism, an industry upon which many in Israel rely.

And even though the borders reopened some months ago, it seems those eager to again visit the Holy Land are nevertheless jittery about actually booking tickets for fear that the next wave of COVID infections could force them to cancel.

Razvozov’s announcement was meant to allay those fears. If the new policy holds, Israel will not close itself off to tourists even in the event of a new wave of infections. Time will tell if that’s a realistic position.