Passover is just around the corner, and this will be the first year since 2019 when we can go on vacation almost without thinking about Corona restrictions.
The vast majority of countries around the world have already removed the Corona restrictions on entry into them, with the exception of a few countries such as the USA, Japan, the Philippines, China and more, but it is estimated that they too will remove the restrictions soon.
Congestion in the National Bank of Israel, photo: Koko
Ben-Gurion Airport is expected to be filled with Israelis who will take off on vacation overseas, and according to estimates, the number of daily passengers in Israel will cross the 80,000 mark on certain days. For comparison, today between 50 and 60,000 passengers pass through Israel in a day .
Why is this figure important?
Mainly because of the lack of manpower in Israel, which may lead to long queues there in the coming weeks.
Skyrocketing prices
In the test we conducted, the prices we found for Passover are very high, and it is difficult to find deals for attractive destinations at affordable prices.
Those who profited were those who knew how to order somewhere during the year 2022 and listened to the recommendations of the experts.
Contrary to what we believed until the Corona period, that favorable prices can be found mainly at the last minute, the trend has changed and now most of the profitable deals are for those who remember to book as far in advance as possible.
Of course, it's not an exact science here either, and there are occasionally profitable last-minute deals.
London, Photo: Getty Images
So if we've already missed most of the affordable offers for Passover, it's time to wake up and book vacations for the summer.
Many Israelis have already booked, as early as the beginning of 2022, immediately with the opening of the sale of some airlines.
The prices for August are already high, but you can still find relatively favorable prices for June, July, September and certain days in August.
Nir Mazur, VP of Aviation Relations, explains: "Even this summer, the huge demand for vacations may exceed the limited supply, which will make vacations more expensive.
There is no doubt that procrastination in booking vacation packages and flights will make your vacation more expensive, and worse - you may end up with no places at all.
This is especially true for the population of families who need large rooms suitable for four and five people, the ones who are snapped up first in every resort in the world.
My recommendation: if you plan to vacation in July-August, book your vacation as soon as possible.
The hot destinations that go to the stars this summer are the Greek islands, neighboring Cyprus, the surprising Georgia and also New York, alongside European capitals that are always loved by the Israeli audience such as London, Paris, Madrid, Barcelona, Prague and Lisbon.
Also, the possibility of flying over Oman will increase demand for destinations such as India and Sri Lanka and bring virtually all the destinations of the East closer, so that the tourism map has now expanded significantly and the options for destinations that were considered far away have now become more attractive."
Competing with tourists from around the world
In the summer, unlike Passover, which is celebrated mainly here in Israel, tourists from all over the world travel to attractive destinations.
This has many meanings and especially a jump in prices.
Popular destinations such as London, New York, Paris or Rome, become much more pleasant in terms of weather, and tourists from all over the world compete for every hotel room.
The hotels allow themselves to raise prices due to the high demand, and this actually creates a situation where the hotels in the sought-after destinations are filled with tourists who are willing to pay high prices.
Paris, photo: Getty Images
The same principle also works in flights, and here too, this is the main reason for the price increase.
The tourism industry works in a system according to which in-demand months with very high prices compensate for less in-demand months in which the airlines and hotels often also lose.
Tali Noy, Ista's VP of Marketing and Sales, explains: "Most Israelis have not yet compensated themselves with a summer vacation as usual after the Corona virus.
The summer of 2023 is going to behave like pre-Corona in Israel and abroad, and therefore we will see an excess of demand for summer. This is one of the main reasons why customers in the past month are mainly booking summer vacations. The rise of the dollar also acts as a catalyst, and Israelis do not want to find themselves a minute before summer with high prices, High dollar and lack of inventory. Peak demand this summer will be for all-inclusive family packages in Antalya, Crete, Cyprus, as well as other products such as holiday villages in Europe, cruises from Haifa and Western Europe, and of course family packages to popular destinations such as Spain, Italy and France. Also, a new trend that is growing is travel Bicycles for families. Demand for this product can already be seen for departures after Passover. Currently, the prices for all-inclusive packages, four nights, 5 stars in the Mediterranean basin in a variety of destinations, start at $600 per person, for a couple with three children.
There is no doubt that as time goes by, the places for the summer are decreasing, and the prices will increase in the future.
Regarding Passover, there are still places at good prices.
For example, we see Sharm and Dubai as popular destinations due to excellent destination weather, great prices and excellent hotels.
The US is also a popular destination for Passover thanks to the relatively long holiday, and you can still find a variety of options for the upcoming Passover."
Not just hotels and flights
A summer vacation usually also includes renting a car and spending time at various attractions.
The car rental industry in Europe continues for the second year in a row to deal with a shortage of vehicles following the war in Ukraine and the continued impact of the corona crisis in Asia.
This means that those who are looking for large vehicles (vans) will have difficulty finding them right now, and if they wait until the last minute, it seems that they will not be able to get an answer.
Senior officials of the car rental industry in Israel explain that the issue of the new and automatic vehicles may also be problematic for those who waited until the last minute.
So, basically, if you wait until the last minute, you may have to pay a high price for a manual car.
A 20% increase from last summer
Yoni Waxman, the vice-chairman of Ofir Tours, explains, "In the coming Passover, flight prices have increased compared to last year.
Last year in February-March we were still in the middle of the corona and many destinations still had restrictions, so we were still uncertain about Pesach 2022. This year Pesach falls on a long weekend, and those who booked early benefited from the low prices.
"Of course, for those who are flexible about the days and which destination to travel to, then if you move a day or two before Seder night, you can still find lower prices, or in the second week of Passover. For the coming summer, in terms of prices, we see an increase of about 20% from last year. You should book now For those who want specific dates and destinations. As we get closer to July, the prices will rise and people will have to settle for individual destinations."
Time goes by and prices go up, photo: Yeh'ach
Shirley Cohen Orkabi, Vice President of Esht Torres, adds: "We anticipate that the prices will only increase as we move towards the peak seasons, so it is better to order now for the summer.
The demand is very high, and not enough flight slots have been added.
This summer we will see the Israelis who are thirsty for innovations enjoying new destinations to which direct flights have been opened, such as the Peloponnese peninsula in Greece, Japan, Dublin, Slovakia, alongside familiar destinations such as Montenegro, which Israelis discover more and more with each passing year, Antalya, the USA and the center and west Europe".
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