Israel, home to much of the Holy Land, has always been a popular tourist destination as it draws pilgrims from all over the world, as well as tourists looking to experience the beautiful Mediterranean country. The country recently announced that they will be reopen their borders to vaccinated international travelers beginning in late June. That’s right, the Holy Land will likely be open as soon as this summer for pilgrimage again.
The news came along with the announcement that Israel had vaccinated 60 percent of its population in April, and would allow visitors who have also been vaccinated. They’ll begin their phased approach by allowing groups at the end of June. It’s expected that they will be allowing individual travelers to enter the country beginning later this summer.
As an additional precaution, Israel has identified several high-risk countries such as India, whose residents will be banned from traveling to Israel with few exceptions. They will continue to monitor how countries are dealing with COVID-19 and will update this list periodically.
Who Can Visit
All visitors who enter the country will need a negative PCR (polymerase chain reaction) test showing they do not have the virus before boarding a flight to Israel. Upon arrival, travelers will need to take a serological test to prove Covid antibodies from prior infection or vaccination.
It’s a significant move by the country of Israel as they currently are only allowing first degree relatives and require a ten day quarantine period.
Come with Us
With the Holy Land opening to visitors so soon, we’re excited to share our upcoming pilgrimages. We’ve already set dates and begun planning for trips starting in October and continuing through next year.
Go here to see all of your options for traveling to the Holy Land this fall and throughout 2022.
We can’t wait to be there, but in the meantime, you can meet our fantastic tour guides who truly make the story of the Holy Land come alive. See them here on our YouTube channel.
