In July 2022, the recovery trend in tourist overnight stays that began in March of this year continued after unvaccinated / recovering tourists were allowed to enter Israel for the first time. The Maccabiah events that took place during July also contributed to the recovery, so that the total number of overnight stays by tourists in Israel has decreased by 9% compared to July 2019 (before the COVID-19 crisis).

There was a 13% decrease in Israeli overnight stays compared to July last year, and a 6% increase compared to July 2019. A total of approximately 2.6 million overnight stays were recorded in July 2022 – an increase of 1% compared to July 2019, of which approximately 1.8 million Israeli overnight stays, A decrease of 13% compared to July 2021 and an increase of 6% compared to July 2019. Tourist nights totaled approximately 792 thousand – a decrease of 9% compared to July 2019. The average national occupancy amounted to approximately 72% compared to 60% in July 2021 and 72% in June 2019.

The impact of the Maccabiah events can be seen mainly in the cities of Haifa and Netanya, which recorded significant increases in tourist nights and occupancy compared to July last year and compared to July 2019.

The number of tourist nights in Haifa amounted to about 29 thousand – an increase of 35% compared to July 2019. The occupancy of the rooms amounted to about 74% – compared to an occupancy of 65% in July 2019.

The number of overnight stays by tourists in Netanya amounted to approximately 29 thousand – an increase of 44% compared to July 2019 (the highest rate of increase in Israel). The occupancy of the rooms amounted to approximately 80% compared to 66% in July 2019. (The highest occupancy after Eilat).

The highest occupancy in Israel in July was recorded in Eilat, approximately 86%, a decrease of 2% compared to 2019.
In Netanya, an occupancy of about 80% was recorded, an increase of 22% compared to July 2019.
In Herzliya, an occupancy of about 79% was recorded, an increase of 1% compared to July 2019.
In Haifa, an occupancy of about 74% was recorded, an increase of 14% compared to July 2019.
In Tel Aviv, an occupancy rate of 73% was recorded, a decrease of 9% compared to July 2019.
In Tiberias, an occupancy of about 68% was recorded, an increase of 6% compared to July 2019.
In the Dead Sea, an occupancy of about 66% was recorded, a decrease of 5% compared to July 2019.
In West Jerusalem, an occupancy of about 65% was recorded, an increase of 3% compared to July 2019.
In Nazareth, an occupancy rate of about 53% was recorded, a decrease of 12% compared to July 2019.

The hotel association stated: “The hotel industry is recovering and approaching the record figures that were in 2019, on the eve of the epidemic, mainly thanks to the boom in inbound tourism. We hope that this positive trend will continue until the end of the year, and will help it to end with a small gap compared to 2019, despite the weakness of the first quarter. We believe that with a massive investment in the marketing of Israel in the world, in the last quarter of 2022, it will be possible next year to pass the record year of 2019 and reach a significant increase in the number of tourists who will come to Israel”.