In 2022, internal migration from Jerusalem to the orthodox city of Bet Shemesh accounted for 18.1 percent of all migration from the city that year. It was closely followed by migration to Tel Aviv-Yafo, which stood at 6.2 percent. In recent years, the city has taken on a more religious character. Many leisure and nightlife facilities in the town are closed on Saturdays for religious reasons; therefore, the municipality is becoming less appealing to non-religious people. In addition, a religious population leaves Jerusalem for other cities due to a higher cost of living. In the 2022 elections for the 25th Knesset in Israel, the ultra-religious party United Tora Judaism constituted the  most popular party  among the residents of Jerusalem. 

Jerusalem is still a leading tourist city 

While Jerusalem's popularity as a place to live is waning somewhat, the city is still a top tourist destination. Both international and domestic tourism are thriving in the city. In 2022, the  number of foreign guests in hotels in Jerusalem  reached over 673,000. This was a significant increase compared to the previous year. Tourists from abroad are interested in visiting the city due to its religious and historical importance, with sites sacred to many religions. In addition, the number of Israeli guests in hotels in Jerusalem  is also high. In the same year, 713,000 Israelis stayed in hotels in the city, a slight rise compared to 2021. Among the famous sites in the city are the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, the Western Wall, and the Dome of the Rock.

By September 2024, international tourist arrivals in Israel reached 86,400 entries. In comparison, 330,900 visitors entered the country in September 2023. During the fourth quarter of 2023, the country experienced a more than 80 percent drop in international tourist arrivals when compared to the previous year. In the months following the Israel-Hamas war, which started on October 7, 2023, incoming tourism to Israel significantly decreased.

Israel's tourism industry has experienced significant challenges recently. After reaching a new peak in 2019, with *** million annual visitors, the country saw a dramatic drop to just ******* visitors in 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. A rebound in 2022 and 2023, ended with the start of the Israel-Hamas war at the end of 2023. Interestingly, some businesses have found ways to endure the slump in tourist arrivals. A pause on air travel With the start of the war in Gaza between Israel and Hamas, international tourist travel to the country significantly diminished. Foreign airlines reduced their flight frequency, and at times even paused services. Between November 2023 and February 2024, no American carriers flew to the country. As a result, monthly air passenger traffic fell to just ******* in November 2023. A new war economy Despite setbacks, some tourism-oriented businesses found openings in the new war economy. To offset the loss of foreign visitors, local hotels accommodated Israelis evacuated from conflict regions in the North and South of the country. In the month following the outbreak of hostilities, hotels hosted over *** million guest-nights with Israeli customers. The Israel national airline, El Al, is another example of resilience. As the company maintained its services throughout 2024, it became the most reliable air travel provider, resulting in a doubling of its quarterly profits.

Key information about Israel Visitor Arrivals

• Israel Visitor Arrivals recorded 88,200 person in Feb 2025, compared with 78,800 person in the previous month
• Israel Visitor Arrivals data is updated monthly, available from Jan 2003 to Feb 2025
• The data reached an all-time high of 485,747 person in Oct 2018 and a record low of 600 person in Apr 2020

The number of foreign hotel guests staying in Jerusalem in 2023 reached almost *******. This reflected an almost ** percent increase compared to the previous year. During the observed period, the number of international tourists in Jerusalem plummeted between 2020 and 2021. This was due to restrictions introduced in response to the coronavirus pandemic.

In 2023, almost ******* American citizens entered in Israel. This was a moderate increase of about *** percent from the previous year. During the observed period, visitors from the United States peaked in 2019 at about ******* people. Arrival in 2020 and 2021 were severely impacted by travel restrictions introduced in an effort to curb the coronavirus pandemic.

Abstract

This survey reflects the data for the year 2009, and provides us with the main data about the inbound visitor and his/her behavior during the visit, such as the expenditures, main purpose of the visit, which is related to overnight-stay tourists. The survey provided data on: The characteristics of visitors The characteristics of the visit The length of stay of the visit The amount and mode of expenditure during the visit

Geographic coverage

West Bank Governerate

Analysis unit

Visitors to tourism areas

Kind of data

Sample survey data [ssd]

Sampling procedure

Target Population The target population for this study was all guests in hotels in the West Bank, whether resident or non resident, in 2009.

Sampling Frame Framework was created under the preview of visitor arrivals in 2008, and the frame is a list of arrivals by nationality, month, and the governorate. The preview window consists of the tourist sites in the north, central, and south of the West Bank, and Jerusalem, and regions where a police officer is at each site of the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities and/or a tour guide accompanied the visitors.

Sample Size The sample size was estimated to be about 2500 visitors distributed among the West Bank sites and attractions.

Sample Survey Design This sample survey is a stratified random sample of visitors in the Palestinian territory and units are the areas in the West Bank (including regions: north, central, and south, and Jerusalem). A different sample of visitors at each site was selected depending on the number of visitors during the previous year 2008

Distribution Of The Sample The distributed sample of visitors to tourist sites frequented by visitors in a manner proportional to the number of visitors to sites during the previous year 2008

Mode of data collection

Face-to-face [f2f]

Response rate

NO RESPONSE

Sampling error estimates

-

In 2022, the number of tourists from Nigeria in Israel amounted to 6,700, which was a significant increase compared to the previous year, which stood at a mere 300 travelers. The number of tourists from this African country dropped drastically in 2020 and 2021 following Israeli government regulations around the outbreak of COVID-19. In 2019, the number of Nigerian tourists visiting Israel reached a peak of 12,700 people, up from 10,000 in 2018.