Hungary has jumped from sixth to second place among the travel destinations of Israeli tourists, thanks to public safety and the Hungarian government’s pro-Israel policies. During the holiday season, the number of Israeli travellers is expected to reach a new peak, which could bring a record number of visitors from Israel to Hungary.
Western Europe Have Fallen Behind
‘Eastern Europe is strengthening, while Western Europe is weakening,’ PassportCard summarized the finding of their report, noting that according to their index data, travel to Eastern European destinations has sharply increased this winter. PassportCard added that Thailand has become the most popular destination among Israeli travellers—having ranked second before the wartime period that began after 7 October 2023.
The United Arab Emirates, which previously held first place, has fallen to fifth—writes the Israeli news site i24. The United States has risen from eighth to third place, while the Czech Republic holds fourth—both countries consistently supported Israel during the conflict and repeatedly backed it in UN votes.
The most striking change in Israelis’ travel habits is the sudden rise in popularity of countries considered particularly friendly toward Israel, while countries that have adopted a colder attitude since the Gaza war have slipped backward.
France, usually a popular choice thanks to the Christmas markets in Paris and Strasbourg and its many ski resorts, fell from fourth to eighth place. The United Kingdom dropped out of the top ten entirely. Germany, long famous for its holiday markets, is also missing from this year’s ranking. All three countries have seen an increase in mass anti-Israel demonstrations and antisemitic incidents over the past two years. Spain, which was already near the bottom before the war, has completely disappeared from the list due to the strongly anti-Israel rhetoric of Spanish officials, including Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez.
Italy remains relatively stable, dropping only slightly from fifth to sixth place, despite numerous reports of hostile behaviour toward Israeli tourists. Austria ranks seventh thanks to the appeal of its Alpine ski resorts. The top ten is rounded out by Argentina and Greece, whose governments are both considered friendly toward Israel.
Hungary Is the Safest Choice in Europe
Hungary has jumped from sixth to second place, which the Israeli news outlet attributes to Prime Minister Viktor Orbán’s openly pro-Israel stance during the war. Orbán declared that he would not enforce the International Criminal Court’s arrest warrants issued against Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defence Minister Yoav Gallant, and he hosted Netanyahu in Budapest last year. In addition, Hungary regularly vetoes resolutions on international platforms that unilaterally condemn Israel or deny Israel’s right to self-defence.
Due to the rise in antisemitic incidents and anti-Israel sentiment in Western European countries, public safety has become a priority for Israeli tourists. The Hungarian government follows a zero-tolerance policy toward all forms of antisemitism, including antisemitism disguised as anti-Zionism or anti-Israel activism.
Moreover, after 7 October, 2023, Hungary banned all pro-Palestinian demonstrations within the country. According to a study published in October 2024 by the Action and Protection Foundation (TEV), Hungary is practically the only European country where antisemitism did not increase after the Gaza fighting, and since the 7 October terrorist attacks, Hungarians have shown greater sympathy toward Jews.
According to the ranking of the insurance company PassportCard, the number of Israeli tourists planning air travel abroad in the coming months will be 20 per cent higher than in the winter of 2022, the pre-war record. In addition to overall growth in the number of travellers, the length of foreign vacations has also increased: trips longer than 21 days have doubled compared to the 2022 winter season. This means that Hungary can expect even more Israeli visitors seeking a safe and peaceful holiday during this year’s festive period.
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