On Tuesday, April 13, 2021, Israel’s Tourism Minister, Orit Farkash-Hacohen made an announcement that has been anticipated for the past few weeks. International travel will be returning to Israel on May 23! The reopening plan will be set up in phases and is only for organized group travel.
At the start, only a limited number of organized groups will be permitted to enter Israel. All travelers in these groups must be vaccinated and will be required to have a PCR test 72 hours prior to boarding their flight to Israel as well as a PCR test upon arrival in Israel. Additionally, a serological test will be administered to all travelers arriving at Ben Gurion to verify that they have received the vaccination.
Faith Journeys will continue to keep close contact with our office in Jerusalem and will be awaiting further information from the Israel government. We hope to be able to clarify how many groups will be permitted and what new procedures will be in place for travel to Israel during this first phase.
In an email from one of our contacts within the Israel government we heard this great news, not only for groups with upcoming/planned travel to Israel but for all those who are considering traveling in the future: “We expect that once this initial phase is complete, Israel will open to all tour groups and individuals sometime this summer.”