Working in an advisory capacity with the US-based Abraham Accords Peace Institute (AAPI), HVS has recommended a series of measures aimed at the easing of bureaucratic visa procedures and reduction of barriers to entry to help boost the movement of tourists between Israel and its Arab neighbours.

The AAPI, set up to assist and develop tourism initiatives bilaterally between Israel and the USA, the UAE, Morocco, Bahrain and Sudan, was hailed as the most significant development in the Middle East for decades. HVS’s advisory involvement, announced in July 2022, was spearheaded by Steve Mendell, founder of the HVS offices in Europe, the Middle East, Africa and Asia, and Russell Kett, chairman of HVS London, a specialist in Israel’s economic and tourism sector.

Thousands of Israelis are said to have visited the member countries since the Abraham Accords (AA) were established, but relatively few citizens of these countries have visited Israel, partly due to its complex visa process. While some countries are visa-exempt, Israel issues seven types of visas for foreign nationals with an average processing time of two months for a 90-day visitor’s visa, suitable for tourists.

HVS has this month forwarded a series of recommendations to the AAPI based on making the visa policy between Israel and the member countries more accessible and traveller-friendly, which could boost tourism inflows by up to 68% whilst still maintaining national security concerns.

In its proposals, HVS cited estimates that countries with visa restrictions could reduce the bilateral flow of exports and foreign direct investment by an average of 25%. These restrictions, while intended to maintain security and control over immigration, can have a profound impact on tourism owing to the time, cost and delays involved, thus making a destination inaccessible to potential visitors, in particular those looking for last-minute travel opportunities or those without the time to go through lengthy visa applications.

‘The cost of a visa can be another barrier to entry as well as the impact visa rules can have on the perception of the country’s hospitality towards foreign visitors,’ commented Steve Mendell. ‘A complex visa application procedure, or one only allowing a short stay, can ultimately impact potential visitors’ choice of destination.’

HVS’s recommendations include introducing a visa exemption for visitors coming from all AA member states; issuing visas on arrival; offering an e-Visa facility, which would reduce the workload for embassies and consulates whilst maintaining a strong level of security; and leveraging ally support of other nations in their own visa policy so that visas from one AA country can be valid for another.

‘Visa regulations relaxed by other nations have not necessarily been reciprocated by Israel,’ added Russell Kett. ‘This reciprocity needs to be extended in order to ensure long-term growth of travel between the countries in the region. While border security remains of paramount importance, actions need to be taken in terms of visa status to ensure sustainable tourism growth into Israel from the region with our recommendation favouring the introduction of an e-Visa system.

‘In general, countries which have a more traveller-friendly policy regarding entry visas benefit from expanded tourist growth, which has a positive effect on their GDP. Israel stands to benefit from the same visa status for its own outbound citizens, so would therefore be of benefit to Israeli nationals.’

To download HVS and AAPI’s article, Easier visas lead to tourism growth and increased GDP, click here.