Tourism in Israel Staggers During War as Travelers Cancel, Leave Hotels Deserted

The ongoing turmoil and tension in the region after Israel declared war on Hamas earlier this month has led to tourists canceling trips they had planned to the country — at one of the seasonally busiest times for tourism.

Reuters reports that visitors are disappearing from the tourism industry in Israel and the Israeli-occupied Palestinian territories of Gaza and the West Bank, with hotels all but empty and six companies halting guided tours to Tel Aviv and Jerusalem.

Two tour providers have canceled all excursions through the end of the year.

"Business is at a standstill since the war started," offered Essa Abu Dawoud, a tour guide in Bethlehem. "The roads were cut off, no one is coming."

Tourism is one of the Israel's biggest industries, and had only just started returning to pre-COVID 19 pandemic.

Major airlines have stopped flights into and out of Israel. Cruise ships have also been avoiding the area, after the United States and England advised their citizens against traveling to the region.

The company easyJet, Reuters reports, has canceled all packages to Tel Aviv that had been set to depart before Oct. 22, while Virgin Atlantic Holidays is allowing customers to rebook for later dates or get a refund if traveling before Oct. 18.

InterContinental Hotels said two of its hotels, Six Senses Shaharut and Hotel Indigo Tel Aviv – Diamond District, were temporarily closed. It has seen some cancellations and some customers moving bookings to later in the year. Isrotel, the largest hotel chain in Israel, reports their buildings are virtually unoccupied.

Reuters reports that the coming months are typically the busiest of the year for Christians travelers from the United States, the United Kingdom, and other parts of Europe to visit Bethlehem and other notable cities in the Holy Land.

"We rely on tourism for living," said Khader Hussein, 30, a souvenir seller in Bethlehem. "We had the COVID crisis and we were still recovering and slowly waiting for the tourists to come back. Now the tourism sector is dead."

The Israel Central Bureau of Statistics claims 800,000 Americans visited the country in the first nine month of this year.

Israel declared war on Hamas following the Oct. 7 attacks that killed hundreds.

The death toll from the conflict stands at 1,400 Israelis and 2,750 Palestinians. It is believed 199 hostages were actually taken back to Gaza, rather than the 150 initially reported.