As you have already heard in the news, Israel is dealing with a renewed coronavirus outbreak with 61,640 active cases. Sadly, Israel now has the highest rate of daily new coronavirus infections per capita in the world. Despite that, the death toll is relatively low with only 1,797 death cases.
In an effort to curb the spread of the disease, we are amid a new countrywide lockdown until October 14. The lockdown started on the eve of the Jewish New year and will last through the entire Jewish holiday season. Schools and shopping centers are closed, and Israelis must stay within 1000 meters of their homes with the exception of travelling to specific workplaces.
Our borders are still closed. At the moment, and until further notice, entry to Israel will be refused to non-citizens or non-residents of Israel arriving from anywhere in the world.
It is emotionally moving to see the Holy land without pilgrims and travelers, especially after the unprecedented year of incoming tourism in 2019, as 4.55 million tourists visited the country. This is one of the rare times in the past 1,600 years that the Holy Land has been virtually devoid of Christian pilgrims and tourism.
We are optimistic! Things will turn around eventually and the country and the rest of the world, will come out of this challenging situation.
Meanwhile, the country did not stop improving, renovating, building and thinking of the day after. The day when we will meet again in the Holy Land, eat Falafel in the old city of Jerusalem, float in the Dead Sea walk around the sea of Galilee and enjoy St Peters Fish meal at a nearby restaurant along the shores.
New Hotels
Despite all the uncertainty caused by the Covid-19 pandemic and the complete absence of foreign tourists, new hotels opened across the country.
Isrotel''s newly opened Kedma hotel is located in Sde Boker. Kedma hotel, an upscale and luxury hotel in the Negev, has already hosted Israelis during the summer vacation.
Fattal has also opened a new hotel near Eilat on Kibbutz Eilot called the U Splash Resort. In Tel Aviv, the Brown hotel chain has opened The Brown Seaside on Hayarkon Street.
Also, Galilee has a new state of art hotel Sofia - Sea of Galilee built in the heart of an ancient Ottoman stone house from the end of the 19th century. The hotel is located on the ridge at the northern entrance to Tiberias, within walking distance from the city center.
More hotels are scheduled to open later this year, such as the luxury brand of Six Senses. This hotel brand is opening its first hotel in the county: Six Senses Shaharut. Nestled on a hill in the Arava Valley, the Six Senses Shaharut features 60 outward-facing suites and villas with private pools. Six Senses Shaharut will definitely lure you to come to the Bible Land.
Infrastructure Projects
Coronavirus quiet enables Israel to drive forward infrastructure projects. The shutdown caused by the coronavirus has enabled authorities to accelerate long-awaited transportation infrastructure projects, taking advantage of almost barren roads and entirely-suspended train travel.
Projects benefiting from the shutdown include the extension of the heavily-delayed electrified railway line between Jerusalem and Tel Aviv, which has now reached Savidor Central station. Work will continue on the line to Tel Aviv University and Herzliya.
In Jerusalem, the municipality has approved billions of shekels for infrastructure work in the Holy City. Work will be done on the light rail, Begin Highway. Also, construction work will begin on a new entrance road to Jerusalem, entering from the west of the city.
Renovating Churches
The Custodia Terra Santa, has in recent months implemented plans to preserve and to renovate churches and other places of importance to Christians in the Holy Land –Among the sites that have undergone renewal are the Church of the Transfiguration on Mount Tabor, the Church of All Nations near the Garden of Gethsemane in Jerusalem, the Dominus Flevit Church on the Mount of Olives, the Church of the Flagellation on the Via Dolorosa and the Shepherd’s Field Chapel. Renovations that have started since 2007 at the Bethlehem Church of the Nativity are now in an advanced stage.
The next time you will be in the Holy Land, you will have new and refurbished sites to visit and enjoy!
Similarly, we at Faith Holidays, are taking advantage of this exceptional time to improve our services and knowledge. We are creating a new and much more interactive website. We aim to have the website inter-connected with our newly operation software so that we will be able to serve you faster and give you more precise information about the Holy Land.
Until then, we remain here to support you and we are ready to assist with any questions you may have and with future reservation inquires and booking.
We will keep updating you of any changes in the region.
Wishing you continued strength, health and safety.
Faith Holidays, America’s premier tour operator specializing in both fun and leisure tours with special all inclusive economical tours to key religious sites around the world. We take you to the destinations of Biblical significance, plan your itinerary and organize every aspect of your tour, turning it into a once-in-a-life-time experience that you will cherish for ever. We have the knowledge and expertise to provide the best leisure tour. All our packages can be customized to your needs. Organizing a group tour to Holy Land, call us at 1888-91-FAITH for the best reliable service and affordable tours.