Photos courtesy of Israel Ministry of Tourism
Upon the flight’s arrival Israel’s Minister of Tourism, Orit Farkash-Hacohen, greeted the group in celebration, kicking off the official return of international tourism to the country.
“You are the first organized tourist group to visit Israel in over a year, since in March 2020 Israel shut its doors to tourists, and I am very pleased to be here with you on this momentous occasion, said Farkash-Hacohen. “Israel has overcome COVID, after being the world’s leading country to vaccinate its population, and we are back to normal—restaurants, hotels, concerts, markets, national parks, and sporting venues—everything is now safely open. You are the first of what I am sure will be many tourists and we are all excited to have you here!”
This first group of tourists consists of 11 American theological students from Concordia Seminary in St. Louis, Missouri, escorted by their professor. The group’s arrival marks the official start of the country’s pilot program and over the next few days and weeks, 19 additional groups from around the world will arrive in Israel. The plan is to increase the number of groups allowed into the country and soon reopen to individual international tourists over the summer.
In the interest of avoiding the spread of COVID-19, all visitors arriving in Israel must be fully vaccinated, have taken a PCR test that proved a negative result, and will be tested for antibodies upon arrival.
“This is just the beginning of the long-awaited return of tourism to Israel – we plan to continue rolling out next steps and advancements in our phased approach over the coming weeks,” said Sammy Yahia, Director for India, and the Philippines. “Israelis are ecstatic and are ready, with open arms, to welcome international visitors back to the country.”