Israel: an expensive place to visit

In recent years Israel has become one of the most expensive destinations for tourism in the world. Accommodation in chain hotels is twice or three times more expensive than in hotels of the same chains in other countries in Europe and the world.

From May 14 to 18 next year, the Eurovision Song Contest will take place in Tel Aviv. Many hotels are already fully booked for this period and the rest offer reservations at very high prices. At the same time, according to experts, the matter is not only in the conduct of competition, since the country overall has become one of the most expensive destinations during the past few years.

An example is the Sheraton chain hotel in Tel Aviv. A room costs 1139 shekels on a regular weekend ($302). The same room in Zurich or Berlin costs $150 and in Barcelona $105 respectively. A similar range of prices is observed in hotels of Leonardo Fattal and Accor Hotel chains.

Experts attribute the high prices to the lack of rooms, expensive real estate, large salaries and a strong national currency. Also, expensive hotel rooms allow hoteliers to compensate for the outflow of tourists every two to three years due to hostilities.

In addition, hospitality providers do not reduce prices, as people come to Israel not only for the purpose of tourism, but also family, pilgrimage, and ‘emotional connections’. Such travelers will visit the country even at high costs.

By the end of the year, a record number of tourists is expected in Israel – more than 4 million visitors.

source: Tourism Review