The first group of foreign tourists to visit Israel in over a year landed Thursday after the government began opening the borders following a steep drop in coronavirus morbidity.

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Starting this week, groups of up to 30 vaccinated foreign tourists have been allowed to enter Israel, and the Tourism Ministry expects 20 more such groups to come from the United States, Britain and Germany.

United Airlines Flight 90 from Newark, New Jersey, landed with 12 Christian theology students from Concordia Seminary in St. Louis, Missouri, on board. They were welcomed by Tourism Minister Orit Farkash-Hakohen.

The group plans to visit Jerusalem, Nazareth, a number of national parks and Christian sites, the ministry said.

Israel owes its success in curtailing the spread of the deadly respiratory virus to a world-beating vaccination campaign, which has seen the vast majority of its adult population fully inoculated.

Officials, however, remain cautious about potential new variants, and tourists are required to show negative COVID-19 tests taken before departure and take another test at Ben-Gurion Airport after landing in Tel Aviv.

This article was first published by i24NEWS

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Tourism Minister Orit Farkash-Hacohen said, "I invite hoteliers, from large and small hotels, to submit their application and get the support they need."

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In August, the government decided to compensate the country's hotels, but no money has been disbursed due to squabbling about which establishments would be eligible for the aid.

To qualify for a grant, a hotel will be defined as one "comprising at least 11 rooms, which provides paid accommodation services for guests and for limited periods of time, as well as ancillary services including catering, recreation and leisure," the Tourism Ministry explained.

Reprinted with permission from JNS.org

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