Israel’s Ministry of Tourism is making significant strides in bolstering tourism from Russia, with Director General Dani Shahar recently concluding a productive visit to Moscow. The trip, spearheaded by Minister Haim Katz, aimed to accelerate the recovery and growth of Russian tourism to Israel, highlighted by the imminent resumption of direct flights to Eilat after a two-year hiatus.

Shahar’s visit focused on high-level meetings with airlines, tour operators, online travel agencies, and media outlets. These discussions yielded substantial progress, including advanced negotiations with an additional airline to open a new route to Israel.

“Russia has always been and remains one of our key tourism markets”, stated Director General Dani Shahar. “Today, we are seeing not just a recovery, but also a steady increase in Russian interest in Israel. The growth in the number of flights, the expansion of flight destinations, and the return of the Eilat route are a response to high demand and a confident step towards strengthening ties between our countries”.

The visit kicked off with a celebratory event attended by key players in the tourism sector, where a new flight schedule was unveiled. Starting in the first half of June 2025, the number of weekly flights between Russia and Israel is set to increase significantly, from 18 to 30. Furthermore, flight operations will expand from two to four Russian cities: Moscow, St. Petersburg, Sochi, and Mineralnye Vody. Importantly, flights will no longer be limited to Tel Aviv, with the addition of the Eilat route, the first since 2020.

During his meetings with local tourism professionals, Shahar noted a 7.4% increase in tourist flow from Russia to Israel between January and April of this year, compared to the same period in 2024. He emphasized the need for a further increase in flight frequency between the two nations and discussed plans for online advertising campaigns and marketing agreements with tour operators and travel services.

This recent visit builds directly on previous initiatives by the Ministry of Tourism in the Russian market. These efforts include hosting a Russian delegation of agents, airline representatives, and journalists who toured key tourist sites across Israel and met with local industry stakeholders to tailor vacation packages for their clientele. Concurrently, the CEO of Red Wings Airlines visited Israel to finalize the launch of the direct Moscow-Eilat route, which is scheduled to commence operations on June 12.