Israel Records 9.4 Million Outbound Travelers and Slow Tourism Recovery
Official data shows 9.4 million Israeli departures abroad in 2025, a 33% surge, while incoming tourism reached just 1.3 million entries, highlighting a sharp post-war travel gap.
Official data confirms that Israel's Ben Gurion Airport and travel sector have experienced a massive surge in outbound tourism, coupled with a slower recovery in incoming visitors throughout 2025.
In 2025, Israelis recorded 9.4 million departures abroad, marking a sharp 33% increase within a single year. Meanwhile, incoming tourism remained significantly lower, registering approximately 1.3 million entries. Although this represents a 37.1% rise compared to 2024—when only about one million entries were recorded—the figures remain far below pre-war levels. Of the total incoming visitors, 92% arrived by air and 8% via land borders.
The widening gap between Israelis traveling abroad and incoming tourists is also starkly reflected in financial figures. In 2025, Israelis spent 46.3 billion shekels on travel both domestically and abroad, compared to 38.3 billion shekels in 2024. Conversely, expenditures by foreign tourists inside Israel totaled 12.1 billion shekels, up from 9.2 billion shekels the previous year.
Israel's hotel industry tells a parallel story of shifting dynamics. During 2025, tourist hotels recorded 21 million total overnight stays, down from 22.5 million in 2024. Domestic overnight stays by Israelis dropped to 17.8 million from 20.7 million the previous year. However, overnight stays by foreign tourists increased to 3.1 million, compared to 1.9 million in 2024.
Throughout 2025, a total of 437 tourist hotels operated across Israel, offering approximately 57,800 rooms. The average room occupancy rate stood at 53%, while total hotel revenues reached 13.7 billion shekels.
Despite the overall decline in total overnight stays, the tourism sector accounted for approximately 1.7% of Gross Domestic Product at basic prices, compared to 1.5% in 2024. The industry employed roughly 3.2% of all workers in the national economy. Overall, the data highlights a modest recovery in incoming tourism alongside a massive continued appetite among Israelis for international vacations.
