Travel in Israel

The 21st edition of Art Basel Miami Beach is now in the books – a whirlwind week of parties, dinners, DJ sets, brand collaborations, product launches, restaurant openings and, fortunately, great weather. But at the center of it all, of course, was the art – presented in every form all throughout the Magic City.

New York restauranteur Anna Castellani is behind Dekalb Market Hall (the largest food hall in Brooklyn), the redesign of The Hugh in Midtown, and ANA’s at Hudson Yards.

Good morning from Skift. It’s Friday, December 8. Here’s what you need to know about the business of travel today.

The Middle East lost its tourism growth momentum once the Israel-Gaza War started in October. Before the conflict, the region was a star performer in the global tourism industry. Here are seven facts about Middle East tourism:

The war between Israel and Hamas has made the already skittish airline industry even more diligent about messaging on passenger attire.

The offerings include cyber training and education, fleet cyber risk assessment, and cyber incident management.

Within the EU+ countries market, the best performances came from relying on incoming tourism and VFR traffic: Iceland (+25%), Greece (+21%), Slovenia (+20%) and Portugal (+16%).

The Middle East exceeded its pre-pandemic international tourist arrival numbers by over 20% through September this year, according to the UN World Tourism Organization’s latest data. That’s before the Israel-Hamas conflict started in early October.

What are the world’s most expensive cities to live? Singapore and Zurich, Switzerland have tied to secure the top spot, according to the Economist Intelligence Unit’s Worldwide Cost of Living survey.

The ongoing war between Israel and Hamas, which erupted in early October, has halted international tourism to Israel and severely blunted travel to neighboring countries in a ripple effect spreading across the entire Middle East. While the slowdown in international visitors is only one of the war’s economic repercussions in the region, it poses a significant threat to the economies of Egypt, Jordan and other nations heavily dependent on tourism and has swiftly reversed a banner year of travel in the Middle East.

United Airlines is extending Premier elite status for a few select flyers.

Good morning from Skift. It’s Tuesday, November 28. Here’s what you need to know about the business of travel today.

Among big-name travel and transportation brands, Expedia Group, Airbnb, Uber and Disney have pulled their advertising off X, formerly known as Twitter.

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Thomas Manuel was born and raised in Texas, but he always knew that one day he would leave the US to explore new places.

Safety is a top concern for many when choosing where to travel — a consideration that carries even more importance given the current landscape in the Middle East with the Israel-Hamas war and the U.S. State Department’s worldwide caution travel advisory. To help pinpoint safe countries for travel in 2024, Berkshire Hathaway Travel Protection has published its “Safest Destinations” report for the ninth year in a row. The report ranks both the top safety countries and the top safest cities globally.

If you've ever thought about taking on your own, you're not alone.

One knock-on effect of the conflicts taking place in Europe and the Middle East is that airlines and passengers are seeing an increase in costs and flight times, as planes have to be rerouted across large parts of the world.

Good morning from Skift. It’s Wednesday, November 15. Here’s what you need to know about the business of travel today.

Tourists have stopped booking new trips to Turkey. The war in Gaza is deterring Turkey’s tourism bookings.

Major conflicts in recent years, most notably in Israel and Ukraine, have significantly impacted travel worldwide, another hurdle for the industry in its quest to make a complete recovery from the pandemic.