Ferrari and Lamborghini racing cars in Dubai (Photo: Ziv Reinstein)
In the last ten months of the year 2022, more than 150,000 Israelis visited the United Arab Emirates, and it seems that the year 2023 also holds an upward trend, especially against the background of hopes related to increasing the number of flights between the two destinations.
As a reminder, the borders between Israel and the United Arab Emirates were officially opened after the signing of the Abraham Accords in September 2020, which brought with them a boom in relations.
In addition, beginning in March 2022, Israel opened its doors to all foreign tourists who had been vaccinated against Corona.
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Finney Shani, Senior Vice President and Head of Marketing Administration at the Ministry of Tourism, was interviewed by the Khaleej Times from the United Arab Emirates and said that approximately 1,600 citizens of the Union arrived in Israel in the last ten months of 2022. in this period.
Citizens and residents of the United Arab Emirates spend $180 per day, not including flights.
Business travelers spend even more than that, but on the other hand - they stay fewer days in Israel," Shani said after his last visit to the United Arab Emirates.
The Breaking Travel News website reports that during Shani's visit, which took place last month, he met senior officials in the local travel and tourism industry and examined business opportunities and cooperation between the countries. It was also reported that the Israeli Ministry of Tourism grants a sum of 20 Euros to the travel agencies for each tourist who arrives in Israel and stays there for at least four nights.
As far as the Israelis are concerned, the year 2023 also implies an upward trend.
Tourists in Dubai (Photo: ShutterStock)
Israel offers: "kosher" foods for Muslims and Arabic-speaking guides
Shani further added that Israel can provide tourists from the United Arab Emirates with perfect conditions, including restaurants with halal food (foods allowed to be eaten according to Islamic laws), Arabic-speaking tour guides, Islamic tourist sites, as well as hotels and places suitable for the whole family.
Shani further added that he is sure that 2023 will be an excellent year for tourism, in light of the recovery from the epidemic.
"During 2022, we have already returned to the normal situation, with tourist arrivals from countries such as the United States, Germany, France and Italy. The Abraham Agreement is a wonderful opportunity for the United Arab Emirates and Israel to build lasting relationships and cultural and historical ties. For the Israeli audience, the United Arab Emirates is a new destination, which arouses curiosity to discover it In droves. However, UAE nationals need more time to explore what Israel can offer them as a tourist destination. Therefore, the number of visitors from Israel will remain more or less the same. And the number of visitors from the UAE will increase dramatically in the coming years," Shani added.
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Only 1,600 Emiratis arrived in Israel this year (Photo: ShutterStock)
The visa challenge
As of today, the air connection between the destinations is satisfactory, with 70 weekly flights operated by El Al, Israir, Etihad, Fly Dubai and Emirates.
"We hope to increase the frequency of flights to increase tourism from the UAE and the world, especially from Southeast Asia, Oceania and more," Shani said.
When he referred in an interview to the challenges affecting the tourism industry, he mentioned two prominent obstacles: the need for a visa to Israel and the lack of knowledge and awareness about Israel as a tourist destination.
"A visa to Israel is necessary for visitors who are not citizens of the United Arab Emirates but residents of it (coming from India, Pakistan and Bangladesh). Issuing a visa takes time (around two weeks). Unfortunately, this is a consideration for potential visitors when they choose their next travel destination."
When referring to the second challenge, he stated that the plan is to hold seminars and carry out marketing moves with the local travel industry, in order to increase awareness of Israel as a tourist destination.
To improve mutual tourism with the UAE, Shani said that "we want to showcase hospitality, coexistence, diverse communities, nature, local foods, culture, heritage and history. In addition, we aim to build good relationships with travel agencies, airlines and means the media".
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