Israeli Hotels Report Booking Jump as Absentee Votes for Tuesday's Knesset Race Arrive

Hotel chains across central Israel are reporting a rise in bookings this week as citizens arrive from abroad to vote in Tuesday's Knesset election. Africa Israel Hotels said occupancy during the election period is up about 23% compared with October last year, while Fattal Hotels reported higher demand concentrated in the central part of the country.

The travel surge is tied to an estimated 70,000 people who live outside Israel and have returned or are expected to arrive before polls open. No official count exists, and the figure remains an estimate. If the race between the two political blocs narrows, ballots cast by this group could affect the result.

A single Knesset seat required roughly 36,000 votes in the 2022 contest. With population growth and turnout projections, analysts expect the threshold for a seat this time to land between 38,000 and 39,000 votes. Some estimates point toward support for the change bloc among arrivals, though no reliable measure of their preferences exists. Even if 60% backed that bloc, the resulting gain would amount to no more than one to one-and-a-half seats.

Africa Israel Hotels marketing director Alex Eliyahu said more citizens are combining voting with travel, choosing to pair "exercising their democratic right with a short vacation." Fattal Hotels vice president of marketing and sales Maya Shalev said bookings are ahead of last October, "apparently due to the elections." Her chain is discounting rooms by up to 30% through October 29, with an additional 10% for members of its loyalty program.

Many of those landing are staying with relatives, friends, or in apartments they own, rather than in hotels. Some who arrived were among the tens of thousands at a rally held Saturday night at Hostages Square in Tel Aviv. One woman who has lived in the United States for more than 50 years traveled from Miami to vote and plans to leave in early November. "Many Israelis living in Miami and Los Angeles tend to vote for the Right. I'm different, and I'm not alone," she said. A visitor from New York said his family flew in for the purpose of voting and will depart the day after the election. A grandmother from the South Sharon area attended with relatives who arrived from Canada, including an 18-year-old voting for the first time. Another traveler from New York said she booked her trip in advance to vote for Likud.

The travel window has not been smooth for everyone. Some citizens were left stranded overseas after flydubai canceled flights following an attempted terrorist attack, and one traveler said the cancellations pushed up fares to destinations in the Far East.

Others face the opposite situation. A resident of Ramat Gan booked a vacation in Vietnam with her husband almost a year ago, before the election date was set. "This will be the first time I don't vote. It breaks my heart," she said, adding that she considers it a shortcoming that citizens abroad cannot vote on Election Day. The number of residents leaving Israel for Tuesday appears lower than the number arriving to vote.