The first anniversary of October 7 falls on a Monday, between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, making flight and hotel fares cheaper than traveling on weekends or holidays. Sources from the tourism sector have pointed to an emerging trend where many Israelis are trying to schedule their vacation to avoid being in Israel on the anniversary of the terrible national tragedy. The exceptional demand has led to an approximately 25% increase in travel costs compared to last year.
"Some of the public will choose not to be in the country during the day that marks a year since the massacre, and people will prefer to take vacation days that include a bridge between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur," said one of the tourism officials. "This directly affects the availability of flights and vacation bundles, prompting a rise in prices compared to last year. Last year's holidays averaged around four nights per vacation and this year's average has risen to five or six nights. In addition, we're seeing bookings for distant destinations like Thailand and the United States, averaging between eight and 10 nights in larger quantities than in previous years."
"This year there is a general trend of increased prices due to low flight availability and high demand. Prices between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur have risen by about 25% compared to last year. The prime vacation dates during the holidays are after Yom Kippur until Simchat Torah (October 13-26). Greece is the most popular destination for us, which has taken Turkey's place. This year we are seeing a wide variety of destinations, not just Rhodes and Crete, but other destinations, including the farther ones," said Shirley Cohen Orkaby, deputy director of Issta Tours.
Oren Cohen Meguri, vice president of Marketing and Sales at the Flying Carpet tourism company, said: "We are seeing a significant increase in demand for immediate departures after Rosh Hashanah, by about 30%. One of the main reasons for this is the difference in prices during the holidays. A family can go on a five-day vacation for about 6,000 shekels. The Greek islands and Cyprus are the prominent and preferred destinations."
'Can't forget, but can continue to live'
Some Israelis are anxious to travel on a national day of mourning. In the "Secret Flights" Facebook group, users discussed the morality of leaving for vacation while Israel still has 120 hostages in Gaza. "I feel bad with every flight these days, and as long as the hostages are not returned, there's no chance that I'll ever travel on October 7. Uploading a photo from the trip and writing that we remember the hostages is worthless," wrote one of the critics.
A. wrote: "Personally, we decided not to fly because we want to attend memorial services. That's our feeling this year. We don't know how we'll feel next year, but we don't see anything wrong in traveling. It's not like we forget this disaster as soon as we're in the air. In this country, every date throughout the year commemorates something. We don't forget. Do what feels right."
Another user added: "If I'm not in reserves on this date, there's a reasonable chance I'll escape for this week, I've experienced it live once, no need to relive every year."
"On October 7 my favorite band is performing in my favorite travel destination and at first I thought it would be a problem. Then I realized how symbolic it is to fly and experience the thing I love most in the world precisely on this day. When I'm there, I'm always happy, and I'll remember a year ago when I was sure we were all going to die. It's a victory, to know that I survived such a hard time, and I really deserve to enjoy life, you can't forget, you can't deny, the videos are already burned into my soul. But you can continue to live and celebrate that we are alive. So yes, fly and do what feels good," wrote O.