"Booking.com" warns travelers of war risks in ‘Israel’ as tourism plummets

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Palestine

Global booking platform issues safety alerts for ‘Israel,’ including Tel Aviv, citing potential "conflict zones".
Tourism to ‘Israel’ falls sharply, with just 1 million visitors in 2025, down from 3.01 million in 2023.

In a move highlighting the fragility of its tourism sector, global reservation platform Booking.com has reinstated security warnings for travelers searching for hotels in ‘Israel,’ including major cities such as Tel Aviv. The site describes the region as potentially “affected by war”, according to Haaretz.

Visitors encounter a pop-up advising them to “review any travel advice provided by your government to make an informed decision about staying in this area”.

The company stressed that the alerts are part of a standard policy applied to other conflict zones, including Ukraine and Nagorno-Karabakh. However, the timing underscores growing regional insecurity, particularly amid rising tensions over a potential strike on Iran. Booking.com has not disclosed when the current warnings were first applied.

Tourism crisis deepens

The warnings arrive amid a steep decline in ‘Israel’s’ tourism. Official data show arrivals dropped 58.5 percent in 2024 compared with 2023. In 2025, only 1 million tourists visited, down sharply from 3.01 million in 2023 before the outbreak of war.

Booking.com maintains that its global policy is neutral, stating, “Our mission is to make the world easier to experience for everyone. We believe it is up to travelers to choose their destination. It is not for us to decide where someone can or cannot go.”

The platform has faced pressure for allowing listings by 'Israeli' settlers in the West Bank without noting their legal violations under international law. This prompted the company to include alerts for disputed territories, ensuring travelers are “fully aware of what to expect when planning their trips.”

Contrasting realities

While ‘Israel’ seeks to project stability, international travel platforms and airlines like Lufthansa and KLM, whose crews refuse overnight stays in the region, present a different reality. The warnings reinforce the perception of ‘Israel’ as an active conflict zone, far from returning to pre-war normalcy.