Tour operators quickly pulled tourist tours and travelers out of Israel after a surprise attack by Palestinian militant group Hamas was followed by Israel’s declaration of war. One operator called it “9/11 in Israel.”
Departures to Israel have been canceled by a number of tour operators until the end of the month, including Intrepid Travel and Ya’lla Tours. G Adventures cancels all tours in Israel until November 5.
Some operators, including Overseas Adventure Travel and ETS Tours, a faith-based organization, only canceled their departures until mid-October, saying they would continue to evaluate the situation in Israel.
Collette canceled all departures to Israel through the end of 2023 and said decisions about travel in 2024 would be made at least 60 days in advance of the trip.
“We are deeply saddened by the events that occurred in Israel this weekend and we hope that the Israeli people will be able to quickly restore safety, security and stability to the region,” said Jeff Roy, Vice President -executive president of Collette.
Travelers who were on a trip to Israel when Hamas attacked early on the morning of October 7 have since evacuated the country, tour operators said.
Many were driven to Jordan, mainly Amman, where flights back to the United States and elsewhere were available after U.S. airlines and other carriers suspended flights to and from Tel Aviv.
Ronen Paldi
The president of Ya’lla Tours, Ronen Paldi, of Israeli origin, has been in Tel Aviv since the start of the conflict. He said Ya’lla managed to get the 230 guests out of Israel on Monday.
Paldi said the Hamas-led attack, which first targeted a music festival near the Gaza border, is unprecedented and pales in comparison to other conflicts in the region in recent years.
“This is the equivalent of 9/11 for Israel,” Paldi said. “The Israeli authorities, the army and the government were totally surprised by this act. That’s the real difference. And it will have consequences for a long, long time.”
Suppliers say Egypt and Jordan, which share a border with Israel, are open to visitors and tours are going ahead as planned. But customers have questions about security.
“So far, customers have not canceled (Egypt and Jordan), but they are more cautious when traveling,” said Matt Berna, Intrepid Travel president of the Americas.
Berna added that Intrepid is vigilant and has access to real-time security updates in the countries where it operates.
Intrepid offers five itineraries focused solely on Israel and the Palestinian territories, while there are a number of itineraries combining Israel, Egypt and Jordan.
Paldi said Egyptian suppliers “charge full penalties to people who cancel.”
Overseas Adventure Travel (OAT), which caters to travelers over 50, said it sends between 1,000 and 3,000 travelers to Israel each year, usually between March and October. Most combine land tours of Israel with visits to other countries like Egypt, Jordan, and Morocco, while some focus solely on Israel. A small number of OAT travelers visit Israel via cruises.
Overseas Adventure Travel travelers dine in Amman, Jordan. Photo credit: OAT
The company said that while its tours to Egypt and Jordan are operating as normal, OAT is concerned about the long-term impact of the Israeli conflict on tourism in the region.
“We are preparing for the worst,” CEO Brian Fitzgerald said. “We have decided to cancel at least the next two weeks, but what would it look like if we couldn’t operate for the next six months or more?”
There are signs that travel to Israel will be banned for some time, Paldi said.
“We expect a longer war than ‘usual’, perhaps several weeks,” Paldi said.
