The October 7, 2023, attacks and the subsequent war made a big dent in Israel’s tourist industry, which had just started to recover following the Covid-19 ordeal.
Although the war is still not over, it appears to be winding down enough for officials in the Tourism Ministry to start gearing up for a renewed wave of travelers ahead of the summer.
International airlines have slowly begun resuming flights to and from Israel, hotels are opening or reopening, and tourist attractions are back to welcoming visitors across the country.
“The more security stability increases, the more tourists will come. This is based on our experience from past crises,” said Israel Ministry of Tourism Director-General Dani Shahar at a recent international tourism fair in Berlin.
“Ultimately, Israel is an attractive destination with unique tourism gems that cannot be found anywhere else. From our connections with global business partners and the surveys we have conducted, we see growing interest and a willingness to return to visit Israel as the situation improves.”
The Tourism Ministry has allocated some $60 million to support the development of 55 tourism infrastructure projects in 2025, such as laser shows at the marina in Eilat and at Knights Halls in Old Akko, illumination of monuments in Jerusalem, and the development of the Ark of the Covenant Promenade in Kiryat Ye’arim.
The ministry also has been working since last April to implement a new initiative to make more tourist sites accessible for people with disabilities.
We’ve compiled a list of the best new tourist attractions for you to check out if you’re visiting Israel in the coming months.
Midbarium
Midbarium Desert Animal Park is a one-of-a-kind, interactive animal park located in Beersheva in southern Israel. Built in place of the old Negev Zoo, the new park was set to open right before the war and finally opened to the public a few months ago.
Most of the 100 animals living in Midbarium are rescues that cannot be returned to nature, brought to the park from other animal facilities across Israel and other parts of the world.
Midbarium is open daily, including Saturdays, between 9am and 4:30pm; on Fridays until 2pm. During summer months, the park offers evening and night tours upon request. Ticket prices range from free to 75 shekels.
For more information, or to purchase tickets, click here.
Museum of Tolerance
Jerusalem’s recently opened Museum of Tolerance is the Israeli counterpart of the Museum of Tolerance in Los Angeles, representing the vision of promoting unity, dignity and respect among Jews and people of all faiths.
The 150,000-square-foot, four-story glass-and-stone museum is equipped with a 400-seat movie theater, and an outdoor 1,000-seat amphitheater that offers a peek at the Second Temple-era aqueduct unearthed at its base.
Current exhibitions include “06:29 – From Darkness to Light” and “Documenting Israel: 75 Years of Vision.”
Additionally, there’s a children’s museum with a 150-seat theater, a Social Lab for exhibitions addressing tolerance, a two-story worship space/library, and of course a café and gift shop, plus underground parking.
Yam Caesarea National Park
After four years of development, Yam Caesarea National Park was recently inaugurated as the country’s first marine national park. Located near the famous Caesarea National Park, the new attraction for the first time allows visitors to observe ancient archeological remains underwater.
The underwater ruins include the remains of Caesarea Harbor, one of the largest harbors of the ancient world. It was established in 10 BCE and remained active for nearly 600 years.
Coral Beach
Coral Beach in Eilat has long been part of the southernmost city’s nature reserve and national park but was never officially a designated beach. Now, it is finally being renovated.
The municipality and the Interior Ministry are currently hard at work to expand the beach and move it closer to the coral reserve. A new lifeguard station is under construction and is set to surpass anything you’ve seen on any other beach in Israel. Officials are hopeful that the project will be finished by the start of this summer.
BIG Fashion Glilot shopping mall
If shopping is in your vacation itinerary, you’ll like this new open-air mall in Ramat Hasharon, some 10 kilometers (6 miles) from Tel Aviv.
Said to be the biggest mall in Israel, BIG Fashion Glilot encompasses 44,000 square meters of commercial space, and includes a five-story underground parking lot containing 3,500 parking spaces. At the mall you’ll find stores ranging from H&M and Zara to luxury brands and mid-range labels.
Nova festival memorial site
The phrase “tourist attraction” may seem inappropriate in describing the Nova music festival memorial site near Kibbutz Re’im. But despite the tragic context, that is what this location has become since the Hamas massacre more than a year and a half ago.
According to KKL-JNF, which manages the location, over 200,000 tourists on average visit the memorial site every month, making it the most-visited site in Israel at the moment.
The Nova memorial site is followed by Ben Shemen Forest that boasts 190,000 visitors a month and Nahal HaShofet that averages 180,000 tourists per month. For comparison, the perennially popular Masada National Park at the moment is averaging just 17,000 visitors per month.
New hotels
If you’re coming to Israel, you need a place to stay. Fortunately, a host of new hotels have opened or reopened their doors to the public recently, and many more projects that have been approved. According to the Tourism Ministry, some 18 new hotels are expected to be opened in 2025, “contributing an additional 1,069 rooms to Israel’s tourism map.”
Among the notable properties: The Poli Urban Hotel in Tel Aviv, The Hotel Galilion in the Hula Valley in Israel’s north, Roxon Red Sea in Eilat and Daroma Hotel (formerly Ramon Inn) in Mitzpeh Ramon.
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