Tourism is a major economic sector and a significant source of income in Israel. Common tourist attractions include religious sites, beach resorts, natural sites, archaeological tourism, heritage tourism, adventure tourism, and ecotourism. Tourism in the Israeli-occupied West Bank and the Golan Heights is closely interconnected with the mass tourism in Israel. In 2019, Israel saw a record 4.55 million tourist arrivals, with tourism contributing NIS 20 billion to the national economy in 2017.
Jerusalem is a central destination for tourists, home to sites such as the Western Wall, the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, and the Dome of the Rock. The city also offers numerous cultural and historical attractions, including the Israel Museum and Yad Vashem. Tel Aviv is renowned for its lively nightlife, cultural festivals, and Mediterranean beaches, and the "White City" district, appealing to both local and international visitors. Other notable attractions include the Dead Sea, famous for its high salinity and therapeutic benefits, Haifa and its Baháʼí Gardens, and archaeological sites like Masada, Beit She'an and Caesarea. The Negev Desert offers natural tourism opportunities at locations such as Ramon Crater and Timna Valley, with activities including hiking, camel trekking, and stargazing, while Eilat's Coral Beach Nature Reserve, located in the Red Sea, attracts diving enthusiasts. The Galilee provides a variety of activities such as boating, cycling, and bird watching, alongside its religious sites. Israel has the highest number of museums per capita in the world with over 200 museums.
Religious tourism is very popular in Israel and in the West Bank. Over the millennia, the Holy Land has been amongst the most visited lands in the world. Many sites in modern Israel are considered holy in Christianity and Judaism due to their mention in the Hebrew Bible and the New Testament. As of 2007, the Western Wall and the Tomb of Rashbi were the most visited Jewish religious sites. The most visited Christian holy sites include the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem, the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem, and the Basilica of the Annunciation in Nazareth. The most visited Islamic religious sites are the Temple Mount (Al-Aqsa Mosque) in Jerusalem and the Cave of the Patriarchs in Hebron.
In 2017, the most popular paid tourist attraction was Masada. The most visited city was Jerusalem and the most visited site was the Western Wall. The largest percentage of tourists came from the United States accounting for 19% of all tourists, followed by Russia, France, Germany, the United Kingdom, China, Italy, Poland, and Canada.
Background During Ottoman rule of the Holy Land, there was frequent travel from Mediterranean countries to the Holy Land despite wars between the Ottoman Empire and Christian states of the region. By the early modern period, people considered of lower social class were making pilgrimages to the Holy Land as well. Tourism to the Holy Land was mostly of religious nature until the 19th century, consisting of pilgrimages, with multiple monasteries and hospices hosting the pilgrims. In the 19th century, popular tourism began to reach the region with the advent of package tours by Thomas Cook and Son. Cook's company arrange travel for 12,000 people, among them Germany's Kaiser Wilhelm II. With European powers taking more interest in the Holy Land by the second half of the 19th century, there was an increase in travel from Europe and the United States (a notable example is Mark Twain's tour of the Holy Land). In the 20th century mass tourism to Israel began.
Most-visited cities Jerusalem
Jerusalem is the most-visited city with 3.5 million tourist arrivals annually as of 2017. One of the oldest cities in the world, it is the proclaimed capital of, and largest city of Israel, if the area and population of Israeli-occupied East Jerusalem are included. It is a holy city to the three major Abrahamic religions – Judaism, Christianity, and Islam – and hosts many historical, archaeological, religious and other attractions.
West Jerusalem was built starting in the 1800s with the expansion beyond the Old City walls, gradually expanded throughout the British Mandate, and continued after the creation of Israel in 1948. Selected tourist attractions in this area are: The German Colony, a Temple Society settlement, with a colorful mix of architectural styles. Mea Shearim, established in the nineteenth century and inhabited largely by ultra-Orthodox Haredi Jews, retains the flavor of an Eastern European shtetl. Yad Vashem Holocaust memorial museum. Ein Karem, the traditional birthplace of John the Baptist, is one of the four most-visited Christian pilgrimage sites in Israel. Mount Zion, the traditional resting place of King David. Mount Scopus, site of the Hebrew University and standing at 2710 feet or 826 meters above sea level, offers a panoramic view of the city. Both the Temple Mount and the Dead Sea are visible from this location.
East Jerusalem was captured by Israel in the 1967 Six-Day War and considered by the international community as Palestinian territory held under Israeli occupation, although it was effectively unilaterally annexed in 1980 under the Jerusalem Law. It is the location of: The Old City of Jerusalem, traditionally divided into four parts: the Armenian, Christian, Muslim and Jewish Quarters. Notably, it contains the Temple Mount (known in Arabic as Haram ash-sharīf, the Noble Sanctuary), site of the ancient Temple in Jerusalem with only the Western Wall at its foot remaining, and now with the Dome of the Rock and Al-Aqsa Mosque. The Mount of Olives and Kidron Valley: with its lookout point, Tomb of Absalom, and other Jewish tombs and burial grounds dating back 3,000 yearsSarah Barnea, "A history of the mapping of the Jewish Cemetery on the Mount of Olives", in Eyal Meron (editor), Researches into the City of David and Early Jerusalem (Vol 5, 2010) (in Hebrew)The Necropolis from the Time of the Kingdom of Judah at Silwan, Jerusalem, David Ussishkin, The Biblical Archaeologist, Vol. 33, No. 2 (May 1970), pp. 33–46,"Ancient Jerusalem's Funerary Customs and Tombs: Part Two, L. Y. Rahmani, The Biblical Archaeologist, Vol. 44, No. 4 (Autumn, 1981), pp. 229–235., and Christian sites such as Gethsemane, the Church of All Nations, Dominus Flevit, and the Church of Maria Magdalene (Russian Orthodox Church). Various locations have been proposed as the Tomb of Jesus and/or as Golgotha, the nearby hill where he was crucified. Traditionally both have been believed to be in the vicinity where the Church of the Holy Sepulchre stands. Immediately south of the Jewish Quarter lies the City of David with archaeological digs including the Siloam Tunnel.
The controversial status of East Jerusalem has been an issue when attempting to market Jerusalem to international tourists. In 2009, 2010, and again in 2015, the UK Advertising Standards Authority ruled against a series of Israeli Ministry of Tourism advertising campaigns that displayed images and information about tourist sites located in East Jerusalem. The Authority wrote in its ruling that "the status of the occupied territory of the West Bank was the subject of much international dispute, and because we considered that the ad implied that the part of East Jerusalem featured in the image was part of the state of Israel, we concluded that the ad was likely to mislead." Israel rejected the ruling, with the Ministry of Tourism releasing a statement that said the ad provided "basic, accurate information to a prospective UK visitor". The ruling from 2009 also included criticism about Gaza, the West Bank and the Golan Heights being shown as part of Israel.
Tel Aviv With 2.3 million tourist visits in 2013, Tel Aviv is Israel's second-largest city and a cosmopolitan, cultural and financial global city. The city's greater area is the largest with 3 million inhabitants. Tel Aviv exhibits a UNESCO world heritage area of Bauhaus architecture. The nearby historical city of Jaffa is experiencing a tourism boom. In 2010, National Geographic ranked Tel Aviv as one of the world's ten best beach cities. Tel Aviv is called the "city that never sleeps" by the locals because of its vibrant nightlife scene. Tel Aviv was named "the gay capital of the Middle East" by the Out magazine.
Safed
Safed is one of the four holy cities in Judaism, where the study of kabbalah (Jewish mysticism) developed. Famous for its artisans. The grave of Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai is in nearby Meron. Safed hosts the Artists quarter of Safed. The first artist to arrive in Safed was Yitzhak Frenkel in 1920, following him arrived several of his students, leading to the establishment of an artists quarter. The city today still hosts multiple galleries and museums including the Beit Castel Gallery, the Frenkel Frenel Museum, the HaMe'eri museum and others. Safed has several ashkenazi and sepheradic synagogues, including the HaAri synagogue, Abuhav synagogue and others. The synagogues as well as Safed's surrounding landscapes were major themes of the Safed artists. Around the city, there are many nature reserves and archaeological sites notably the ancient synagogues.
Acre (Akko)
Old City and its Knights Hall El-Jazzar Mosque (Baháʼí) Shrine of Bahá'u'lláh, resting place of Bahá'u'lláh as well as a Unesco world heritage historical town.
Haifa
Haifa is Israel's third largest city and a mixed city of various religious denominations. It hosts the Baháʼí World Centre, a UNESCO world heritage site. Haifa is made up of several neighborhoods with its urban core composed of Hadar HaCarmel and Haifa port downtown area. Carmel (Baháʼí) Shrine of the Báb, its terraces, and the Baháʼí World Centre and the buildings (a Unesco world heritage). Stella Maris Monastery Tel Shikmona Cave of Elijah Mahmood Mosque Haifa hosts the University of Haifa as well as the Technion – Israel Institute of Technology.
Tiberias Tiberias is one of the four holy cities in Judaism, overlooking the Sea of Galilee. Saint Peter's house at Capernaum, Tabgha and the Mount of Beatitudes.
Nazareth Nazareth is known as the 'Arab capital of Israel'. Visit Nazareth's old city and historical sites around the city Jesus's hometown and the site of many of his reported acts and miracles. Many churches, including The Church of the Annunciation, the largest church building in the Middle East. In Roman Catholic tradition, it marks the site where the Archangel Gabriel announced the future birth of Jesus to the Virgin Mary (Luke 1:26–31). Starting point for the Jesus Trail, a network of hiking routes connecting many sites from Jesus's life and ministry.
Beersheba Settlement of Beersheba attributed to the patriarch Abraham. Regional capital of the Negev desert. It serves as a starting point for exploring such sites as the Ramon Crater or the UNESCO world heritage Nabataean Incense Route (Shivta, Avdat, Mamshit).
Eilat Eilat, Israel's southernmost city, located on the Red Sea coast, is a hot, sunny year-round travel destination. Popular destination for skin and scuba diving, with equipment for hire on or near all major beaches, the Eilat Mountains are similar to those in Sinai and there are trail roads for hiking, where one can also find animals like dorcas gazelle, rock hyrax, striped hyena and Nubian ibex. Eilat has big hotels and various attractions such as camel riding, and the Eilat's Underwater Observatory Marine Park. Ramon Airport opened in 2019 replacing the previous Eilat Airport and Ovda Airport. It is Israel's second busiest airport and served by a number of direct flights to and from Europe.
Ashkelon Ashkelon is a city between Gaza City in the Gaza Strip and Ashdod. The city offers many hotels and Mizrahi Jewish restaurants. Local drink Arak Ashkelon is also popular among tourists.