Israeli Spending in UAE Plummets to 1% as Japan Leads Travel Rankings
Israeli spending in the United Arab Emirates dropped to 1 percent of card expenditures in October following a security incident, while Japan led all global destinations with the highest per-traveler spending.
Israeli spending in the United Arab Emirates plummeted to just 1 percent of total card expenditures in October 2026, exactly one month after a thwarted terror attack on a flydubai flight, according to new data from financial service Laya. At the other end of the spectrum, Japan continues to lead as the most lucrative destination per traveler.
The figures, covering physical card transactions and cash withdrawals abroad, exclude online purchases and do not represent a complete statistical sample of all Israeli travelers. Shopping emerged as the dominant spending category, surging to 41.6 percent of total expenses in October, compared to 34 percent in September and 32.4 percent in August. Convenience store chains 7-Eleven and FamilyMart topped the merchant popularity rankings by customer volume, followed by Uniqlo, Lawson, and Starbucks in Japan.
The Impact of the Security Incident
October began immediately following a security incident on September 30, when flydubai flight 1073 from Dubai to Israel faced an attempted terror attack, forcing the aircraft to land in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia. The carrier, which previously operated roughly ten daily flights to Ben Gurion Airport, announced on November 1 that it would postpone its return to Israel.
While the data cannot definitively prove a behavioral shift, the metrics for the United Arab Emirates stand out: while 4 percent of travelers conducted a transaction there in October, they accounted for only 1 percent of total card spending. The average spending per traveler reached a modest 592 shekels across just 4.4 transactions, the lowest figures recorded across all destinations. Analysts suggest the region may be functioning primarily as a transit hub for connecting flights, though direct verification remains limited.
Japan Dominates Traveler Spending
Conversely, Japan dominated the rankings, capturing 27.1 percent of total card expenditures despite accounting for only 13.9 percent of traveling customers. The average spending per traveler hit 4,854 shekels with 45.6 transactions per person, marking the highest figures in the study and mirroring Japan's leading position in August.
Across all global destinations, the average transaction size stood at 112 shekels, though the median was notably lower at 40 shekels, indicating that half of all transactions did not exceed that amount. Category-specific averages showed shopping transactions at 157 shekels, dining at 61 shekels, and hotel stays at 325 shekels. Restaurants and food represented the second-largest expense category at 24.4 percent, while hotels and hospitality dropped to 11.7 percent compared to 17 percent in September.
Cash withdrawals accounted for 15.7 percent of total expenditure, with 19 percent of surveyed travelers withdrawing physical currency abroad at an average of 2,365 shekels per user. Withdrawal habits varied sharply by geography: cash represented 40.8 percent of spending in Thailand, 79 percent in Nepal, and roughly 70 percent in India, contrasted with just 0.5 percent in the United Kingdom.
