More than two years of war, flight cancellations, and travel warnings kept American tourists away from Israel, but this summer, initial signs of a shift are beginning to appear. The number of visitors from the US is rising, foreign airlines are gradually returning, and tourists who waited on the sidelines are once again packing their bags and boarding flights to Ben-Gurion Airport.
According to Tourism Ministry data, 32,500 tourists from the US arrived in Israel in June - a 73% increase compared with June 2025, although the comparison is affected by the war with Iran and the suspension of flights during part of that month. In July, 36,600 American visitors were recorded, a 15% increase compared to July last year.
The numbers are still far from indicating a return to routine, but they point to an interesting shift: After a period during which the very idea of a vacation in Israel seemed impossible to many American tourists, some are beginning to reconsider the option.
No reason not to come anymore
One of them is Alan Weinstock from Connecticut, who recently visited Israel with his wife and daughter after not having been here for more than a decade. In an article published by The Wall Street Journal, he said he had wanted to return earlier, but the war, flight prices, and the security situation caused him to postpone the trip. After leaving his job and feeling the situation had improved, he decided the time had come to arrive.
"I started feeling it was a good moment," he said. During their three weeks in Israel, the family traveled across the country, met with relatives, visited heritage sites, went swimming, and went shopping. In other words, this was not an emergency visit or a trip solely for family purposes, but a real vacation.
And that is perhaps the most interesting shift: The first tourists returning are not necessarily those who think everything has returned to routine, but rather those who decide that the risk and uncertainty are no longer a sufficient reason to forgo Israel.
But the road back is still long
Despite the increase in the number of visitors, incoming tourism to Israel remains very far from its prewar levels. The aviation sector has also not fully recovered, and some American passengers are forced to reach the country via connecting flights.
Still, after a period in which seeing tourists in Israel was a rare sight, the mere fact that some travelers are already looking at the flight board, checking the situation, and deciding to book a vacation may be one of the first signs that the wheel is starting to turn in the opposite direction.
The Israel Association of Travel Agencies and Consultants said: "The increase in the number of incoming tourists to Israel, and in particular from the United States, the largest source market for incoming tourism, is an encouraging sign that demand for Israel exists even in today's complex reality. However, travel warnings against arriving in Israel, limited air accessibility, and high flight prices still make it difficult to realize the full potential of demand, and the state must address this with greater urgency. Safety data and international ratings, recently presented at a meeting between tourism industry leadership and US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee, illustrate the gap between the global perception of Israel's security and the reality on the ground. Fortunately, the ambassador committed to continue encouraging Americans to come to Israel and experience the reality firsthand, alongside continued cooperation to increase traffic from the US. The tourists who arrive in Israel during this period hold an importance that goes beyond their economic contribution. They return home as reliable ambassadors for Israel and have a greater impact than any public diplomacy campaign."