Israelis shun France, Turkey for vacations in Greece, Balkans

Every summer, airlines increase the frequency of their flights to popular holiday destinations for Israelis. This year, since the war and Iranian missile attack, international airlines have cut or stopped flights to and from Israel entirely, and it is not clear when they will return to their regular schedules. However, with the advent of summer, airlines flying to Israel realized the potential in the emerging void, and began increasing the frequency of flights or adding new routes to previously popular destinations, and to some destinations that Israelis are less familiar with.

In the coming months, airlines will increase the frequency of their flights to Montenegro, Romania, Bulgaria, Serbia and Greece. Why exactly these destinations? Vice President of Ophir Tours, Yoni Waxman, explains that the demand for flights abroad was greatly affected by the war. “You can see a decrease in the number of bookings not only to Turkey, but also to countries like Ireland, France and Spain. Israelis feel less comfortable traveling, and they want to enjoy the freedom without fear of facing demonstrations or hiding Jewish symbols. People want to go on vacation somewhere “They feel safe there, and that's why the destinations that have the greatest demand are the ones that we love the most.”

Eshet Tours Vice President Shirley Cohen Orkabi agrees that personal security is a major consideration for Israelis when choosing a vacation, but not only. According to her, proximity to destinations and flight prices also play a major role in choosing a destination. “Israelis like short flight times, and the issue of price is also more important because we have a very low supply of flights (which raises the price), significantly compared to what we knew before,” she says.

High demand in the Balkan countries

“The Balkan countries came out very strong this year,” says Cohen Orkapi. “An example of this is Montenegro, which in recent years has enjoyed a ‘tourism boom’ and huge tourist traffic from Europe, America, China and Israel.” In 2017, the country joined NATO and moved from Russian to Western hegemony, increasing tourism from all over the world.

“Montenegro has been attractive for many years for the Russians who have occupied the place there. Since the war, the Russians feel less comfortable in many places, and the destination has become more accessible to Israeli travellers. This provides an alternative to Budapest, for example, which has become very important.” Montenegro is not getting more expensive yet, it allows for a city break, backpacking, excursions and good food.”

Montenegro is located about two hours by plane from Israel. The capital, Podgorica, is constantly growing, and according to data from Eshet Tours, over the past two years the company has sent about 10,000 Israelis to the destination every year. This month, Neos and Corendon Airlines began operating four weekly flights to Montenegro, including three weekly flights to the capital and a weekly flight to the coastal city of Tivat on Wednesdays. Trips will continue until after the holiday at the end of October, with return prices starting at $299.

Also in the Balkans, El Al Sun D'Or has begun marketing a new route to Belgrade in Serbia during the summer. According to the company’s announcement, “The opening of the route was made possible thanks to the signing of a third aircraft leasing agreement with Klasjet.” The price of a round-trip ticket starts from $295.

Israeli airline Israir has introduced two new routes to other Balkan countries, including four weekly flights to Burgas in Bulgaria and three weekly flights to Bucharest in Romania. Fares to Burgas start at $255 one way and to Bucharest $195 one way. Israir also increased the number of its flights to Varna in Bulgaria to five weekly flights, to Ljubljana in Slovenia to three weekly flights, and to Montenegro to five weekly flights.

Greek islands see record demand

This year also sees a record number of flights departing from Israel to the Greek islands. Cohen Orkapi explains that since Antalya in Turkey was removed from the Israeli tourism map, due to deteriorating relations with Turkey, the Greek islands offer a very attractive vacation experience. “Recently, islands have been opened that were not familiar to the Israeli public, which already knows Rhodes and Crete well. Among the destinations to which direct flights have taken off are Santorini, the Peloponnese and Corfu, which the Israeli public already knows but with a lower profile.”

Among the companies that have added flights to the Greek islands is Sun D'Or, which will operate flights to 6 destinations in the country, and recently expanded its operations by adding two new routes to Santorini and the Peloponnese, at a price starting at $239 per tour. a trip.

Arkia is operating flights for the first time to the island of Lefkada in western Greece, with fares starting at $799 round-trip. In addition, the frequency of flights to Rhodes, Crete, Larnaca, Corfu, Kos, Mykonos and Kalamata has increased. Israir also increased the number of its flights to Crete and Corfu.

“Naturally, we are seeing an increase in the frequency of flights according to the increased demand for certain destinations,” says Ofakim Travel & Tours CEO Revital Ben-Natan. “We are also seeing an increase in related connecting flights, such as routes to Dubai and Abu Dhabi, through which many Israelis are choosing to reach Thailand.” Flydubai did not stop its flights to Israel after the war, and currently operates six daily flights.

Published by Globes, Israel Business News – en.globes.co.il – on June 19, 2024.

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