Chinese Tourism to Israel set to Continue to Grow with Forthcoming Launch of Second Direct Flight Route

Following its launch of a direct flight route between Beijing and Tel Aviv in April 2016, Hainan Airlines will be offering a new non-stop connection in the coming months linking Tel Aviv with Shanghai. The move follows the great success of last year’s new route, which has seen a strong growth in Chinese outbound tourism to Israel among a drop in airfares.

The Hainan Airlines service – the first linking the two cities – will commence on September 12^th, 2017 and be served by new Dreamliner aircraft three times per week, owing to the growing travel demand between the two countries.

Hainan Airlines’ Beijing-Tel Aviv route brought 76,649 passengers to Israel in 2016, despite having only been launched in April of that year. January to April 2017, accordingly, saw 35,800 Chinese arrivals to the country, representing a 116% year-on-year increase.

Welcoming the announcement, Israeli Tourism Minister Yariv Levin declared: “I congratulate Hainan Airlines on opening a new route from Shanghai, another direct route that will bring record numbers of tourists from China. We set as our goal to encourage and assist airlines to open new direct routes from destinations that hold potential for incoming tourism to Israel and I am pleased that Hainan Airlines expresses a vote of confidence in us and continues its cooperation with us in its operations in Israel.”

The growth in Chinese outbound tourism to Israel comes amidst widespread growth in bilateral economic and political ties between the two countries over the past year, which saw Israel invest 15 million shekels (USD 3.8 million) into marketing to Chinese potential travellers as well as becoming one of the few countries to offer ten year multi-entry visas to Chinese passport holders.

COTRI China Outbound Tourism Research Institute provides expert insights into the worldwide developments of China’s outbound tourism market. As Chinese outbound tourists are travelling to a large range of destinations, our publications cover a number of regions, providing detailed insights and analysing visitor behaviour.

With COTRI’s insights you can forge a successful business strategy built upon in-depth market expertise, comprehensive qualitative analysis and future projections. The Spring 2017 Edition of the COTRI Market report features in-depth exploration of the developing trends in the field, supported by a wealth of qualitative and quantitative statistical research.

Source: Israel National News

Picture: Flickr