Visitors in Israel and Gaza are rushing to leave amidst the escalating conflict, with governments and airlines around the world working to repatriate their citizens as the violence continues.
The conflict: The fighting initiated by a surprise attack from Hamas into Israel has resulted in over 1,300 Israeli and around 1,400 Palestinian casualties, with many others displaced.
* Israel has carried out air strikes into Gaza, cutting off access to essentials like food, water, and fuel for residents.
* The attacks have resulted in many airlines canceling flights to and from Tel Aviv, affecting tourists and disrupting Israel’s travel industry.
Impacts on travel and tourism: The ongoing conflict has hit an already struggling tourism sector in Israel.
* Israel’s tourism contributes 2.6% to the country’s GDP and 3.8% to total employment, based on 2019 data from the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development. However, the sector has still not recovered to pre-COVID levels as of 2023.
* Several airlines like Delta, American Airlines, and United, have suspended operations to and from Tel Aviv, further disrupting the outbound travel.
Repatriation efforts: Many countries are undertaking efforts to repatriate their citizens stuck in the conflict zone.
* Brazil is working to repatriate its roughly 20,000 citizens from Israel, the West Bank, or Gaza. The U.K. is also organizing repatriation flights.
* The U.S. is currently working on getting an estimated 400-600 American citizens out of Gaza, with at least 100 having contacted the U.S. embassy for help.
Uncertain future: The ongoing conflict’s impact on Israel’s travel sector is yet to be determined.
* Noa Bauer from Taglit-Birthright Israel noted that the current situation is unlike previous conflicts and its long-term impact remains uncertain.
* Trips to Israel for young adults of Jewish heritage conducted by Birthright Israel have not been postponed, although no trips were on the ground at the time the conflict broke out.
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