JERUSALEM, Israel – Israel will begin welcoming individual vaccinated tourists beginning on July 1.
“The time has come for Israel to open up to tourism and to take advantage of its status as a vaccinated country for the benefit of its economy,” Tourism Minister Orit Farkash-Hacohen tweeted on Thursday.
Currently, only vaccinated tourists traveling with organized groups are allowed in Israel, but the latest decision will permit individual tourists to travel alone into the country for the first time since the pandemic began.
Only vaccinated tourists – and not those who have recovered from COVID – will be allowed in, The Jerusalem Post reports. They must present proof of vaccination before boarding their flight and take a PCR test.
Interior Minister Aryeh Deri said in a letter to government officials Thursday that Israel is working on a process to allow vaccinated travelers from an approved list of countries “to enter Israel with a shortened process that will be put together in the coming days.”
The list of approved countries is yet to be determined by the Health Ministry, The Times of Israel reports.
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