Just one month after a major diplomatic crisis between Israel and Britain, during which London threatened to expel Israeli diplomats, Israel's Tourism Ministry is preparing to launch a new advertising campaign aimed at bringing British tourists back to the country. The campaign, titled "I AM ISRAEL," will be the first specifically targeting British audiences since the October 7, 2023, attacks, following more than three years without a dedicated tourism advertising campaign in the country. The ministry confirmed to ynet that the campaign has not yet gone live in Britain but is expected to launch soon.
The campaign presents Israel through its people, cultures and diverse lifestyles. In the promotional video, a drag queen waves from a bridge, nuns open the doors of their church and other characters offer glimpses of everyday life in Israel. Rather than focusing exclusively on familiar tourist attractions, the campaign seeks to show British audiences another side of the country and rekindle interest in visiting. Its central message is "I AM ISRAEL – Yours to Explore."
Israel's new 'I AM ISRAEL' tourism campaign
(Video and editing: Israel Tourism Ministry)
Alongside the colorful images, the video also acknowledges the events of October 7. In one scene, a group of young people celebrates on a beach. Later, two young women embrace, revealing a tattoo reading "NOVA" on one woman's shoulder, a reference to the music festival where hundreds were murdered during the Hamas-led massacre. At that moment, the narrator says, "I carry scars." The combination of the tattoo and the words introduces a message of pain and remembrance alongside the campaign's depiction of everyday life continuing in Israel.
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Sunshine, sea and smiling young people feature in Israel's new tourism campaign
(Photo: Israel Tourism Ministry campaign)
A reference to the Nova music festival massacre features in Israel's new tourism campaign
(Photo: Israel Tourism Ministry campaign)
The campaign originally launched in the United States in June, and the Tourism Ministry now plans to expand it to Britain. According to British travel industry publication Travel Weekly, it will mark the first proactive advertising initiative by Israel's Tourism Ministry in the British market since October 2023. The budget allocated to the British campaign, its precise launch date and the platforms on which the advertisements will appear have not yet been disclosed.
The initiative was presented this week at the World Travel Market (WTM) tourism exhibition in London, attended by senior Tourism Ministry officials. According to Britain's Jewish News, the ministry is also promoting a separate marketing initiative in which tourists are filmed at the airport and asked to describe their experiences in Israel. The idea is to let visitors themselves convey the message rather than relying exclusively on statements from Israeli officials.
In an interview with British media, Yoash Ben Izchak, the Tourism Ministry's global head of marketing, explained that one of the main objectives is to reach non-Jewish audiences. He argued that a message portraying Israel as a safe and welcoming destination could be more convincing when delivered by tourists who have visited the country rather than government representatives. "We're not apologising anymore," he said, referring to Israel's tourism marketing efforts around the world.
British tourists are returning, but numbers remain far below their peak
According to figures presented by the Tourism Ministry, approximately 13,100 tourists from Britain visited Israel in September, an increase of nearly 50% compared with September 2025. Britain consequently became Israel's second-largest source of incoming tourists that month, behind the United States.
Throughout 2025, approximately 104,800 visitors arrived in Israel from Britain, an increase of about one-third compared with the previous year. Overall, Israel recorded approximately 1.32 million international tourist arrivals last year, compared with roughly 4.5 million in 2019, before the COVID-19 pandemic. One factor enabling the renewed marketing efforts was a change to the British Foreign Office's travel advisory in June, when it lifted its blanket warning against all travel to Israel. However, warnings and restrictions remain in place for certain areas, and British authorities continue to caution travelers about security risks.
Air connectivity between the two countries has also improved. British Airways resumed flights to Israel on October 25, and five airlines now operate direct services between Tel Aviv and London: El Al, Arkia, Israir, British Airways and Wizz Air. The latter recently increased the frequency of its flights between London's Gatwick Airport and Ben Gurion Airport to five weekly services.
‘It's a tourism campaign, not a political campaign’
The planned campaign also comes against a backdrop of severe diplomatic tensions between Israel and Britain. Just last month, the two countries became embroiled in a crisis following Britain's decision to impose sanctions targeting Israeli settlements in the West Bank and Israel's retaliatory decision to close the British consulate in East Jerusalem. The dispute escalated to the point that London considered expelling 27 Israeli diplomats. A compromise was eventually reached, allowing a reduced British diplomatic presence and preventing further retaliatory measures by Britain.
Preparations for the campaign are also taking place amid intense public debate over Israel in Britain. During interviews with British media at WTM, Tourism Ministry Director-General Michael Izhakov addressed the possibility of opposition to Israeli advertising in the country.
"It is a tourism campaign, not a political campaign," Izhakov told Travel Weekly. Responding to those opposed to Israel advertising in Britain, he acknowledged that some would prefer the country not to promote itself there but insisted: "That is not their decision." A pro-Palestinian protest against the participation of Israeli organizations also took place during the London tourism exhibition. However, no direct connection has been established between the demonstration and the new digital advertising campaign, which, according to the Tourism Ministry's statement to ynet, has yet to begin operating in Britain.
The planned advertising push is accompanied by efforts to rebuild relationships with Britain's travel industry. The Tourism Ministry is promoting professional training for travel agents, marketing materials and familiarization trips to Israel, in an effort to restore the country to British travel catalogs and holiday packages.