Despite international airlines resuming flights to Israel, tourism remains significantly down, reports Israel’s Central Bureau of Statistics.

The report highlighted a modest increase in tourist entries into Israel for February 2024, with figures reaching 68,100, up from 59,000 in January 2024 and 53,000 in December 2023. However, these numbers pale in comparison to the 319,100 tourist entries in February 2023, underscoring the ongoing challenges faced by the country’s tourism industry in the aftermath of the October 7 massacre by Hamas.

Throughout the conflict, only El Al, Arkia, and Israir have maintained uninterrupted operations. Despite the resumption of services by numerous international airlines, including United Airlines and Air Canada, in January and February 2024, these efforts have not yet led to a notable increase in tourism.

These bleak figures represent a significant setback for Israel’s tourism sector, which had just started to rebound from the devastating impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 and 2021.