Israel posts record-high Filipino tourist arrivals

MANILA, Philippines — Israel saw a record-breaking number of Filipino tourists in June 2023, according to the report of the Israel Ministry of Tourism.

Statistics released by the tourism ministry showed that there was a 40% increase in Filipino visitors in the holy land or a total of 19,300 tourists from January to June 2023. This breached the June 2019 record.

A total of 34,000 Filipinos visited Israel that year.

Israel welcomed the Filipino tourist arrival growth and said that the year “2023 has been outstanding and by far the best year for Israel tourism in the Philippines.”

“It has been an important market for us, and we see huge potential in the Philippine market,” Sammy Yahia, director of Israel Ministry of Tourism Philippines, said.

Yagua said that the tourism ministry would continue to “make progress on the issues of awareness and connectivity.”

In February 2022, Philippines and Israel discussed the launching of direct flights to boost two-way tourism for both countries and the mutual recognition of vaccination certificates for travelers.

Israel first eased its COVID-19 travel restrictions in May 2021.

During which, it initially allowed a selected number of tour programs to enter Israel.

It only welcomed fully-vaccinated Filipino tourists in November 2021, allowing them to explore Israel’s rich culture, history and  landscapes.

Currently, Filipinos are enjoying visa-free travel to Israel for up to 59 days, while Israelis can enjoy visa-free travel to the Philippines for up to 59 days.