Israel will build a new airport in the south of the country to respond to the “growing demand for tourists”, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced this Sunday, February 15th.
“Only in this way will we be able to provide a real response to the growing demand for tourists and air traffic from the millions of people who arrive in Israel every year, and who will come even more, and also from Israeli citizens who fly abroad,” Netanyahu said in a press release issued by his office.
The new infrastructure is expected to be built in the Ziklag area, located in the south of the historic territory of Judah, in the Negev region, close to the current Israeli city of Beersheba.
The Israeli head of government stated that this construction will boost “employment, accessibility and tourism” in the Negev, one of the most depressed areas in Israel, with poverty rates that in 2024 were around 22%, according to official Israeli data.
Netanyahu also announced that another airport will be built, in Ramat David, in the north of the country.
Currently, Israel has Ben Gurión International Airport (Tel Aviv), Ovda Airport (to the south, near Eilat) and also Eilat-Ramon Airport, in addition to two regional airports in Haifa and Rosh Pina, in the north.
Tourism to Israel declined after 2023, the year of the October 7 Hamas attack. That year, around three million people traveled to Israel, a number that fell to 960,000 in 2024, remaining at around 1.3 million visitors in 2025, according to data from the Israeli Ministry of Tourism.
The reopening of air routes to Tel Aviv, hiring the services of influential foreigners who travel to the country, the reestablishment of coverage by some insurance companies, the easing of travel restrictions and now the construction of new airports were measures announced by the Government to revive tourism.
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