Vaccinated and unvaccinated UAE residents can now visit Israel

Israel has opened its doors to all travellers residing in the UAE. Starting March, vaccinated and unvaccinated tourists of all ages are permitted to enter Israel on presenting a negative PCR test taken before departure and after arriving in Israel. The announcement was made by the Israel Ministry of Tourism at the Expo 2020 Israeli Pavilion on March 15.

The announcement follows a recent agreement between the UAE and Israel extending visa-free entry to all UAE citizens, as part of the ongoing strategic partnership between both countries.

Ksenia Kobiakov, the director of the New Markets Development Department, Israel Ministry of Tourism, said, “There is a tremendous potential in the UAE to drive incoming tourists to Israel. I hope travellers from the UAE will appreciate Israel’s unique offerings, and I believe they will want to visit more than once. We look forward to welcoming UAE tourists to witness the wonders of our country.

“This year, our focus would be to introduce the hidden gem to the travellers from this market. We are looking to promote the country as a destination targeting families, FIT experiential travellers, religious, MICE and leisure travellers through various B2B and B2C activities like media and trade familiarisation trips, roadshows, and cooperation with travel trade and airlines.”

The travel corridor between Israel and the UAE is set to further ease travel between both countries. Budget air carrier flydubai operates 14 flights a week, twice a day, between Dubai and Tel Aviv-Yafo. Etihad Airways and Wizz Air offer direct flights from Abu Dhabi to Tel Aviv-Yafo. In addition, travellers can also opt for Israeli airlines such as El-AL, Israir, Arkia Airlines for direct connectivity between both destinations.

In other news, the UAE and Israel have agreed to collaborate on developing and sharing knowledge and technology to increase the quality of agricultural produce.

Read: UAE, Israel sign MoU to cooperate in agriculture