Israel’s Ambassador to the Philippines is encouraging vaccinated Filipinos to visit the Middle Eastern country for 90 days, Visa-free.
Ambassador Ilan Fluss said Israel is welcoming the visit of Philippine passport holders with the opening of tourism and travel.
“Vaccinated Filipinos can now visit the Holy Land, Old City Jerusalem, Tel Aviv, and Beit Shemesh,” Ambassador Fluss announced during the Pandesal Forum on the state of relations between Israel and the Philippines hosted by Wilson Lee Flores.
“Israeli backpackers are excited to visit the Philippines. We are optimistic of the signs of your country opening up and recovering from the economic crisis due to the pandemic. We hope that the tourism industry will bounce back stronger soon,” the Israeli ambassador added during the November 18 forum at the 82-year-old artisanal Kamuning Bakery in Quezon City.
Ambassador Fluss also wished good luck to Miss Universe Philippines Beatrice Gomez as she competes in the Miss Universe pageant to be held in December in Eilat, Israel.
Israel is one of the 65 countries and territories accepting Philippine passport holders without a prior Visa. The country’s passport is currently ranked at #83 by the Henley Passport Index, down from its 77th ranking with 67 countries before the COVID-19 pandemic hit in 2020. Ecuador and Kenya are no longer on the visa-free access list for the Philippines in the 2021 Henley Index.
Israel visitors are required to fulfill the following:
- negative PCR test result taken 72 hours before the flight schedule
- passenger declaration
- taking PCR test upon arrival in Israel
- hotel quarantine while waiting for the results or 24 hours waiting time
- fully vaccinated with Pfizer, Moderna, AstraZeneca, Sinovac, or Sinopharm vaccine at least 14 days before arrival in Israel
Direct flights from the Philippines to the Holy Land launched by Philippine Airlines in 2019 are expected to resume by April 2022.
Israel and the Philippines have long-standing good relations marked by the Filipino rescue of Jews during the Holocaust.
There are around 30,000 Filipino caregivers in Israel and the nation has announced it will welcome Filipino workers to join the tourism industry workforce.
The Israeli ambassador also noted that Filipino students have been training in Israel for 11 months every year to practice smart agriculture.
In the middle of the pandemic, Israel assisted the Philippines by bringing two delegations of medical experts to the Philippines. The first group shared the Israeli experience in vaccination drive campaigns and the other one shared their knowledge on efficient infection control protocols and hospital management.
The November 2021 Israel Film Festival screened a documentary about Asin founder Noy Pillora’s journey from Filipino rock icon to Israel’s worker.
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