An iron sword war will change the tourism industry in a very significant way. Destinations that were in the first places, such as Turkey or Sinai, will almost completely disappear in the near future, but will be replaced by other destinations. We spoke with tourism industry executives who talk about the destinations that are expected to be stronger and those that are expected to disappear.
Nir Mazor, VP Aviation Relations, explains: "There is no doubt that there will be an impact and everyone is preparing accordingly, Turkey and Sinai have been a huge magnet of passengers in the past two years and this traffic will move to other destinations such as Cyprus and the various Greek islands, but will also return to destinations that were popular in the past such as Burgas, Varna and Batumi that are perceived as a little safer. In addition, we will see the strengthening of Eastern European destinations, Warsaw, Budapest, Prague, etc., which have always been popular, but are now expected to be further strengthened by being relatively safe destinations for Israelis. Movement to the U.S. will be more significant following the visa waiver. The economic crisis will make this fact a bit difficult, because it is a distant and expensive destination, but there is no doubt that the visa exemption will contribute to the arrival of more Israelis there. Thailand and especially Phuket will maintain high demand, as seen today."
The Czech Republic is considered a supportive country for Israel, photo: Leah Roditi
According to Shirley Cohen Orkabi, Deputy CEO of Eshet Tours: "The war will significantly change the map of destinations for the Israeli tourist. In the Arab countries, we will see significant changes – tourism to Turkey and Jordan will suffer significantly, and they will probably be off the map for at least the next year. There is also expected to be a significant reduction in Sinai and Morocco, but the return there will probably happen faster than Turkey and Jordan. The UAE is also expected to experience a decline, but slightly less dramatic. The destinations that will replace Turkey and Sinai are alternative sunbathing destinations such as Montenegro, Greece, Cyprus, Batumi as well as other destinations in Europe that will gain momentum such as Croatia and Spain. Another significant change is a very significant increase in tourism to the United States, which after the visa exemption will become much easier."
Oren Cohen Maguri, Deputy Director General of Flying Carpet, explains: "These days we are still in difficult days of war and pray for the return of all the abductees and for all IDF soldiers and security forces to return home safely. The day after we will all need ventilation and a return to sanity. We believe that the most sought-after destinations will be Greece and Cyprus, with an emphasis on Rhodes and Crete, which can receive the largest number of tourists."
Demand for Paris is expected to decline, Photo: AP
Tourism industry officials, who preferred not to be named, also clearly referred to an expected decline in demand for destinations such as Paris and London, where huge demonstrations in support of Palestine can be seen in recent weeks, with quite a few calls to harm Israelis.
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