New and restored nonstop flights from the U.S. and Canada this fall give travel advisors more ways to get clients to Israel now, where they’ll find new restaurants, waterfront and heritage projects and a hotel pipeline adding properties from Tel Aviv to the Dead Sea through 2029.
Israel: More Flights, More Accommodations
The new capacity follows rising arrivals: Israel drew 154,200 visitors from North America between July and September, up 8.59 percent from a year earlier. “Several North American airlines have resumed service to Tel Aviv or announced plans to reinstate routes in the coming months, reflecting growing momentum in travel to Israel and renewed demand from North American visitors,” said Yoram Elgrabli, Tourism Commissioner for North America at the Israel Ministry of Tourism, in a press statement. “Israel has so much to offer, from our history and culture to our food, landscapes and, most importantly, our people. We look forward to welcoming more travelers from the U.S. and Canada and giving them the opportunity to discover Israel.”
Israeli carriers and Air Canada are adding options. EL AL Israel Airlines starts nonstops from San Francisco on Oct. 25, ahead of United’s three-times-weekly San Francisco service beginning March 28, 2027. In New York, Israir launched JFK service Sept. 17, becoming the third Israeli carrier on the route after EL AL and Arkia, which now flies it with a leased Airbus A330; Israir plans three weekly flights by late October and is awaiting approval to serve Miami. Air Canada moved its Toronto launch up from Jan. 17, 2027, to Nov. 30, with four flights a week this winter.
Tel Aviv already has new inventory. In August, InterContinental David Tel Aviv debuted Premium Terrace Rooms, and Loginn Hospitality opened a smartphone-managed hotel inside the former Israeli Diamond Exchange building.
Larger openings start next year. Gordonia Hotel Group will debut Gordonia Golan Beach on the Sea of Galilee’s northeastern shore in January with 150 suites and direct beach access. In March, Shevet Ahim Group plans an Ashkelon spa resort with 98 sea-view guestrooms, a hammam and hyperbaric oxygen chambers, and Travel Hotels targets late 2027 for a 76-guestroom boutique property on Achziv Beach in the Western Galilee. Fattal Hotel Group expects to open the 182-guestroom NYX Dead Sea wellness resort, with a public waterpark, in 2028, and Gordonia plans five more hotels by 2029, from Eilat and Caesarea to the Arava Desert.
Dining and Infrastructure Projects
New restaurants and public projects are adding stops across the country. Openings include Club Marine at Herzliya Marina, serving Mediterranean and European dishes; De Pita, a Machneyuda group shawarma concept in Jerusalem; ASIA, a kosher Asian restaurant in Eilat; and Sa Tu, a rooftop spot in Ashdod. Ashdod Marina’s Northern Pier now offers a 0.34-mile seaside promenade, and plans for Haifa’s port call for a 1.2-mile waterfront with cruise passenger facilities.
Israel’s Ministry of Tourism also laid the cornerstone of the roughly $1 million Joshua Trail in Elon Moreh, the first of its “Biblical Trails in Judea and Samaria,” with a suspension bridge to the Mount Kabir Nature Reserve. In Akko, a new Crusader Citadel show uses video mapping and an original score.
For more information, visit israel.travel.
