As warnings ease, Israel regains allure

The warnings about travel to the occupied areas of Israel and Palestine are explicit: American citizens, says the U.S. State Department, should “defer unnecessary travel to the West Bank and avoid all travel to Gaza.”

But with respect to Israel itself, the language of the newest (April 7) U.S. government travel warning has changed. U.S. citizens should “carefully weigh the necessity of their travel to Israel in light of ... risks.” It goes on to say, “Terrorist attacks within Israel have declined in both frequency and associated casualties. However, the potential for further violence remains high.”

Nonetheless, Americans are not advised to avoid going altogether, as in the previous warning.

And with that change in the travel warning from the Bureau of Consular Affairs, U.S. Department of State, the floodgates seem to have opened slightly. With a bit of calm descending on the region, U.S. residents have again begun traveling to Israel.

As recently as three months ago, it was hard to find guaranteed departures of organized tour programs to the country. They have reappeared in fair numbers, at least in the mid-priced category ($200 to $300 a day, including substantial bus touring and many meals).

The promotional, low-cost packages to Israel of two or three years ago -- less than $1,000 for air and seven nights -- have not yet begun to reappear in vast numbers. There is insufficient demand for that kind of tour. But for travelers willing to pay $2,500 to $3,000 per person for a multi-location visit of one or two weeks (perhaps to Tel Aviv, Haifa, Tiberias and Jerusalem), the opportunities are many.

Two leading tour companies are New York-based Isram World of Travel, (800) 223-7460, www.isram.com, and Oregon-based Ya’lla Tours USA, (503) 977-3758, www.yallatours.com. Both operate broadly throughout the world; they do not limit their business to tours to Israel.

Isram offers five guaranteed weekly departures to Tel Aviv from New York City. The trips last nine to 15 days and always use deluxe hotels -- even in the bottom-priced category: the Sheraton Moriah in Tel Aviv, the Dan Carmel in Haifa, the Sheraton Moriah in Tiberias and the Dan Panorama in Jerusalem.

For a seven-night tour with stays in those hotels, prices start at $1,480, not including airfare to Israel. (Airline prices vary, beginning at $900 round-trip from Los Angeles.) The tours include hotels, escorted sightseeing, daily breakfast and five lunches or dinners. For a 10-night tour, prices start at $1,835 per person. This is a per-day charge of about $280 per person, including airfare.

Besides operating tours of Jewish interest, Isram also has tours designed for Christian passengers seeking to experience the Holy Land sites. Ya’lla’s tours often combine Jewish and Christian sites on the same programs.

Ya’lla has a six-night Israel tour that includes three nights in Jerusalem, two nights in a Kibbutz hotel and one night in Tel Aviv. Land-only prices start at $655 per person and include daily breakfast, airport transfers, five days of escorted sightseeing, entrance fees and taxes.

Ya’lla also has a five-day Jerusalem stopover tour that includes one night in Tel Aviv and three nights in Jerusalem. The group tours Masada and Jerusalem, with visits to the Garden of Gethsemane, the Tomb of King David and the Last Supper Room. Prices begin at $555 per person, double occupancy. International air transportation is not included.

Israel exerts a strong attraction for a variety of U.S. travelers. As long as progress is made in Israeli-Palestinian relations, which now seems possible, it will again become a heavily visited vacation destination.