Israelis have taken in Ben Gurion Airport in preparation for an overseas flight in a bid to escape the nationwide national lockout that will be implemented at midnight on Friday, with the majority of tickets booked for United Arab Emirates city Dubai.
The government voted earlier in the week to tighten the current closure, including a ban on overseas travel. But a gap in the picture allows those who had bought tickets before January 8 to still be able to fly abroad.
Aircraft land at Ben Gurion Airport
(Photo: yariv katz )
“I decided to fly because of the lock,” said Samer Shatz, who is preparing to go on a flight to Dubai. “I’m going with friends, we’ll travel a bit and get some air. We have not left the house in almost a year because of the pandemic. “
According to Shatz ‘s friend, Azam, the ever-increasing level of infection in the Gulf state should not affect their journey. “All we can do is get used to living with the virus. We’ll come to Dubai and see how it goes over there, ”said Azam.
Linoy is also flying to Dubai with a friend ahead of the full lock. “We secured a contract through Israel for the next week so that we have time to take a coronavirus test when we enter Dubai,” Linoy explained. “We know we have to go into a two-week isolation when we will come back, but we have decided that we are willing to give those two weeks to escape the closure and rebuild elsewhere. “
Surplus at Ben Gurion Airport last month
Uriel and his wife organized a vacation in Dubai. “How far can we go on like this?” I hurried and booked a vacation so that my wife and I have enough time to get a coronavirus test before we go. “
Those who have booked their flights after the restrictions have been enforced must pass a visa application, pass the mandatory coronavirus test and submit a flight application to a special committee to -determine whether the travel is sufficiently urgent and necessary.
According to Israir Airlines, the expected bureaucracy did little to stop the rise in new tickets and a large number of Israelis were already booking holidays through their website. “The frequency of visitors to Dubai is likely to decrease as a result of the closure,” said Gil Stav, VP of Israeli Marketing and Sales.
Dubai has become a favorite destination of Israelis at the time of the pandemic
(Photo: Shutterstock)
“Airlines and tourism were the first to hit the crisis. I hope that at the end of the lock, along with the green permits granted to those who have been admitted, it is possible to remove it in an orderly manner again, ”said Stav.
Despite the gloomy year, Israel’s rapid inclusion campaign seemed to have breathed its last into the country’s tourism industry.
“We expect that by April 2021, millions of Israelis will be able and willing to return abroad for the holidays,” said Ilan Shalev, VP of Marketing for Blick Holiday Series, Nine Minutes and Tourism.
“If we started feeling the effects of coronavirus in February 2020, February 2021 looks like a month in which the aviation and tourism industry could regain its vitality, with a spike in tickets,” Shalev said.