TORONTO — The outbreak of violence in the wake of Hamas’ attack on Israel over the weekend has the Canadian travel industry reeling.

The violence comes as a crushing blow to Israel’s inbound tourism operators, after years of stability and recently, record-breaking visitation levels.

Here in Canada, suppliers are posting updates now that the federal government has advised Canadians to avoid all non-essential travel to Israel, and as regularly scheduled flights between Canada and Israel with Air Canada are temporarily suspended.

Air Canada’s cancelled flights include AC080 from Toronto to Tel Aviv and AC081 from Tel Aviv to Toronto (so far, cancelled through Oct. 13), and AC082 from Montreal to Tel Aviv, and AC083 from Tel Aviv from Montreal (so far, cancelled through Oct. 11 for the outbound leg and Oct. 12 for the inbound). Air Canada passengers can make voluntary changes to their travel plans if they purchased an Air Canada ticket no later than Oct. 6, 2023 for travel Oct. 7 – 22, 2023, with an itinerary that includes a flight to, from or via Tel Aviv. More details can be found here.

Another airline with traditionally strong ties to Canada, El Al, pulled out of Toronto in October 2022, in the wake of the pandemic. While El Al currently has no direct connections to any Canadian gateways, it does work with other airlines to offer connections via the U.S.

WHAT THE TOUR OPERATORS ARE SAYING

Travelweek reached out to Canadian tour operators selling Israel packages, to find out how they’re handling the situation, and what they’re telling clients and their travel agent partners. Several tour operators have issued statements, and others are posting updates on their sites.

Here’s the latest…

GLOBUS FAMILY OF BRANDS

Steve Born, Chief Marketing Officer for the Globus family of brands, tells Travelweek: “Our hearts go out to the people of Israel. Upon receiving the news of the attack on Gaza, for the safety and security of all Globus and Cosmos guests in Israel, we put together an exit strategy and provided assistance in arranging flights home.

“In addition, we have made the decision to cancel future Globus and Cosmos Israel tours through Nov. 15. We are communicating these cancellations directly with affected guests and advisors, providing them a plethora of options, this week.

“In the coming days, we will continue to monitor the situation to determine future needs and/or cancellations.”

TTC TOUR BRANDS

The statement below applies to tour companies comprising TTC Tour Brands, including Insight Vacations, Trafalgar and more.

“At TTC Tour Brands, the wellbeing of our guests and team members is always our top priority.  With this in mind, we monitor world events very closely and make operational decisions based on informed advice from a number of sources.

“We are deeply saddened by the current situation unfolding in Israel. Our hearts and thoughts are with everyone in the affected areas.

“TTC Tour Brands does not have any tours operating in the affected areas at present and all of our European tours are operating normally.

“All upcoming tours to Israel departing up until including Dec. 31, 2023 will be suspended. Any guests booked on the affected departures will be contacted by us directly in the next few days about their options for rescheduling or alternative travel destinations.

“We will continue to monitor the situation closely and tours departing after Dec. 31, 2023 will be assessed in due course. The suspensions affect Israel only and our tours in Egypt and Jordan are running as scheduled.”

INTREPID TRAVEL

Intrepid Travel has extended the cancellations of tour departures in Israel and the Palestinian Territories up until and including Oct. 31, 2023, and is communicating this decision to all affected customers.

The company had already cancelled trips in Israel and the Palestinian Territories up to and including Oct. 16, 2023. It has extended this for the remainder of the month, as the violence in the region continues.

Intrepid had a small number of travelers in Israel when violence broke out on Saturday. All travellers and tour leaders were safely accounted for. The majority of travellers left Israel over the weekend, with the remainder set to depart today.

Zina Bencheikh, managing director EMEA for Intrepid Travel, said: “Our thoughts are with the people of Israel and the Palestinian Territories at this awful time, and we send our condolences to all those who have lost loved ones.”

While trips in Israel and the Palestinian Territories are paused, Intrepid has stressed that tour departures in neighboring Egypt and Jordan continue as scheduled. Government travel advisories for Egypt and Jordan remain unchanged and both countries remain open for tourism.

The latest information can be found on Intrepid’s Travel Alerts page.

COLLETTE

Collette has cancelled all of its departures to Israel through the remainder of the calendar year. The company says future departures for Jan. 1, 2024 and on will be evaluated well in advance of travel.

Over the weekend, Collette was able to ensure that nearly 100 travellers who were on tour in the region were able to fly home safely. The company made the early decision to move groups North to Jordan so they could fly out of the Amman airport, rather than waiting for flights out of Tel Aviv.

“We are deeply saddened by the events that transpired in Israel over the weekend, and we hope that the Israeli people will be able to quickly bring safety, security and stability back to the region,” said Jeff Roy, Executive Vice President at Collette. “As a result of these events, we will cancel all departures to Israel through December 31, 2023.  For departures January 1, 2024 and forward, we will closely monitor the developments in Israel and make operating decisions for these tours at least 60-days in advance of travel.”

GOWAY

Moira Smith, Vice President, Africa and Asia for Goway Travel, tells Travelweek: “We did have some passengers in destination, however all have been evacuated. At present Goway is offering a full refund to any passengers travelling to Israel in October and November. We are keeping a close watch on developments and will adjust further as required.”

STATEMENT FROM ISRAEL’S MINISTER OF TOURISM

Travelweek also reached out to the Israel Ministry of Tourism’s office here in Toronto.

Here’s the statement we received via the Toronto IMOT office from Israel’s Minister of Tourism Haim Katz …

“I hope this message finds you well. I am not reporting anything new; as you know terrorists have breached Israel’s southern border, launching indiscriminate attacks on innocent people, including infants, children and the elderly.

“The State of Israel is engaged in a conflict that we are confident we will ultimately overcome. Unfortunately, we have to acknowledge that there is no knowing how long the security situation will remain uncertain. The brutal attacks have caught incoming tourism just as it was reaching its peak and I might add to which we were eagerly anticipating.

“The government has declared a state of emergency in the border area and within an 80-kilometre radius. No vehicles of any kind are allowed in this area and as this is just the beginning, we anticipate that the guidelines will be changing from time to time in this region as well as throughout the country.

“Most airlines have cancelled flights to Israel and the Ministry in collaboration with relevant authorities is working to assist those who wish to depart from Israel.

“The Ministry of Tourism is in direct contact with the management of the Israel Incoming Tourism Association with updates on the permissible visitation areas and other pertinent matters. The safety of tourists is our top priority and we work to ensure their safety in every way. We hope that we can get back to ‘business as usual’ as soon as possible.

“Drawing from past experiences, we have learned that once normalcy is restored, the tourism industry and the demand for visiting our country will rebound with passion and excitement.”