Israel sets sights on 100,000 visitors from the UAE as travel sector opens up in full

Israel sets sights on 100,000 visitors from the UAE as travel sector opens up in full

Dubai: Israel wants more ‘two-way’ traffic with the UAE, with the initial target to attract about 100,000 visitors from the Gulf country. “Not this year, because we just opened up and there’s a lot that needs to be done,” said Ksenia Kobiakov, New Markets Development Department Director, Israel Ministry of Tourism. Israel has announced that all passengers from UAE can , with vaccinated and unvaccinated tourists of all ages able to enter upon presenting a negative PCR test before departure and after arrival. This follows an agreement between UAE and Israel extending visa-free entry to all UAE nationals. “People had already started coming from last summer when we opened up for vaccinated passengers,” said Kobiakov. “For religious tourists, it really does not make a difference whether there’s a pandemic or not.” The tourism official is relying on new markets such as UAE, Morocco and Bahrain to take Israel back to pre-Covid tourist numbers. Israel attracted over 4.5 million tourists in 2019 and Jerusalem, as per some estimates, was one of the fastest growing tourist markets in the world. When it comes to UAE, Israel’s tourism body is already engaged in talks with major tour operators and plans to sign a