Israel tourism

Model for new pavilion at Jerusalem's Botanical Gardens, May 2023. (courtesy, Shlomo Aronson Architects)

An illustration of a proposed hike-and-bike along abandoned train tracks between Jerusalem and Beit Shemesh. (Mateh Yehuda Regional Council / Israel Lands Authority)

Plans for hike-and-bike path along old railway near Jerusalem get initial okay

June 19, 2023, 7:32 am

Double-decker tourist buses to debut in Jerusalem

The new line will take travelers around Jerusalem’s top sites including the Old City, Israel Museum and Mahane Yehuda market

By ToI Staff

Illustrative: A camel rests with Jerusalem's Old City in the backdrop on April 5, 2015. (Nati Shohat/Flash90)

June 16, 2023, 9:37 pm

Canadian tourist bitten by camel while visiting Jerusalem

31-year-old tells medics she was walking with a group of foreigners in Old City when camel approached and bit her, causing what ended up as minor injuries

By ToI Staff

Illustrative: A guided tour in Jerusalem. April 14, 2010. (Miriam Alster/Flash90)

June 13, 2023, 7:30 pm

Jerusalem court: PA must compensate Israeli tour guides for 2nd Intifada losses

Judge holds Ramallah liable for millions of shekels in damages to tourism industry during terror campaign in the early 2000s

By ToI Staff

May 25, 2023, 7:12 am

Plans for hike-and-bike path along old railway near Jerusalem get initial okay

Mateh Yehuda Regional Council allocates NIS 5 million to begin planning for new tourist attraction on scenic Ottoman-era rail route between capital and Beit Shemesh

By Danielle Nagler

May 16, 2023, 4:40 pm

Jerusalem’s Botanical Gardens to get major upgrade

A new gateway and a Japanese pagoda will extend access to horticultural research center, which boasts biggest live plant collection in Middle East

By Danielle Nagler

In Sussita, a marble pillar lies next to a platform that likely once held a statue donated by a prosperous couple who moved to Caesarea. (Shmuel Bar-Am)

May 13, 2023, 12:18 pm

Revamped as a national park, ancient Sussita’s rich history is even more accessible

Settled 2,200 years ago and razed in an earthquake in 740 CE, the Golan Heights site changed hands numerous times over the years. It is now easier to reach for intrepid visitors

By Aviva and Shmuel Bar-Am

A monument at the Golani Museum, west of Tiberias. (Shmuel Bar-Am)

April 22, 2023, 8:24 am

For Memorial Day, tales of heroism and sacrifice, and the places that honor them

The stories of some of the 40 Israelis to have been awarded the military’s Medal of Valor, and of the battles in which they defended the state

By Aviva and Shmuel Bar-Am

The tomb of Benjamin son of Jacob in Kfar Saba. (Shmuel Bar-Am)

April 15, 2023, 9:16 am

Follow in the footsteps of pilgrims to these holy tombs across Israel

Supplicants flock from far and wide to pray at the graves of prophets and scholars from the ancient Holy Land. Here is a guide to some of the commonly visited revered sites

By Aviva Bar-Am

Walking the Cedar Trail in the Jerusalem Forest. (Shmuel Bar-Am)

April 12, 2023, 9:35 am

Enjoy Jerusalem’s Cedar Trail, now serene and picturesque site of historical battles

Located in the heart of the Jerusalem forest, the scenic area is replete with trenches and ancient dovecotes marking its history from the times of King David to David Ben-Gurion

By Aviva and Shmuel Bar-Am

Passengers at the arrival hall in Ben Gurion Airport near Tel Aviv on February 6, 2023. (Avshalom Sassoni/Flash90)

March 26, 2023, 5:21 pm

Tour operator says overhaul protests sparking overseas cancellations

Yossi Fatael says phenomenon not widespread, but could worsen; calls for ‘constructive discourse’ to maintain national unity

By Michael Horovitz

In past years, as many as 300 people at a time have visited the Istanbul cemetery. (David I. Klein/JTA)

January 29, 2023, 12:13 pm

Orthodox pilgrimage to Kabbalist rabbi’s Istanbul grave picks up after COVID slump

Though nowhere near as packed – or rowdy – as a similar one in Ukraine, an off-the-beaten-path tomb is increasingly visited by supplicants who bring an air of quiet camaraderie

By David I. Klein

Joseph Fischer in Saudi Arabia for the World Travel and Tourism Council global summit in December 2022. (Courtesy)

January 4, 2023, 4:33 am

Does an Israeli tourism expert’s Saudi Arabia trip hint at possibly warming ties?

When Israeli dual-national Joseph Fischer learned a global hospitality summit was being held in Riyadh, he inquired about attending. He wasn’t refused

By Tal Schneider

The Emirati and Israeli flags fly overhead as Israeli President Isaac Herzog gives a speech at Expo 2020 in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Jan. 31, 2022. (AP Photo/Jon Gambrell, File)

January 3, 2023, 11:05 am

Israel’s Gulf tourism hopes fall short as visitors remain scarce

The lack of Emirati and Bahraini tourists reflects Israel’s long-standing image problem in the Arab world and reveals the limits of the Abraham Accords, experts say

By Isabel Debre

Evangelical Christian volunteers harvest Merlot wine grapes on September 23, 2020, for the Israeli family-run Tura Winery, in the estate's vineyards located at the West Bank settlement of Har Bracha. (MENAHEM KAHANA / AFP)

January 1, 2023, 7:36 pm

New tourism minister Haim Katz vows to invest in West Bank, ‘Israel’s Tuscany’

Likud politician says he aims to expand accommodation options to enable all Israelis to afford a vacation; outgoing minister Razvozov says he leaves behind ‘functioning ministry’

By Michael Horovitz

People bathe in the Deas Sea near a resoirt in Ein Bokek, November 2022. (Yuriy Komarov via iStock by Getty Images)

December 6, 2022, 4:57 pm

Israel welcomes over 2 million tourists in 2022 amid steady post-COVID recovery

Vacationing Israelis outpace foreign tourists in hotel stays as number of rooms increases sharply

By Danielle Nagler