TEHRAN – Tourist arrivals in Israeli-controlled lands fell by 76% annually in October because of the conflict in Gaza and the cancellation of the majority of flights to and from Tel Aviv, Mehr reported.

The report by the Israeli Central Bureau of Statistics noted that 89,700 tourists visited Israel in October, with the majority entering before the seventh day of the month, before the outbreak of the 'Al-Aqsa Flood Operation', a surprise attack launched by the Palestinian resistance group, Hamas, against Israel.A comparison with the number of international arrivals during October last year, reveals significant damage inflicted on the sector due to the Al-Aqsa Flood Operation and the subsequent Israeli war against Gaza, the report said.

Since the end of the coronavirus pandemic, the Occupied Lands launched promotional campaigns to encourage tourism aimed at retaining 2019 figures, which had not been achieved by the end of 2022, according to Israeli statistical data.

A report on Monday from Secret Flights, a website that tracks flight data, indicated an 80% average decline in flights to and from Ben Gurion International Airport in Tel Aviv since the outbreak of the conflict.

The website reported that around 100 flights per day landed at Ben Gurion Airport during the conflict, compared to 500 daily flights before the war.

Since Oct. 7, the Zionist regime has made relentless air and ground attacks on the Gaza Strip. At least 11,180 Palestinians, most of them children and women, have been killed.

AFM