The opening of a kosher sushi restaurant in Moscow is only one of many new eateries in Europe and other major destinations for kosher travelers.
Destinations like Russia, Poland, Romania and other European countries are now commonplace amongst travelers who eat kosher.
Just last week came the news that almost half of Israel’s population of 8.5 million (6.5 million Jews) traveled overseas in the last 12 months. Travel experts say that at least 40% of the Israelis can be considered kosher travelers.
Increasingly, many kosher travelers have joined organized kosher tours where kosher caterers, some from Europe (like Kosher Delight in Poland) provide the kosher food, including at luxury hotels.
Many hotels in the Czech Republic, Romania, the UK and Switzerland cater to vacationing kosher travelers. The Rosens from New York will be heading to a kosher Safari in August in South Africa.
Annual kosher estimates were hard to come by but one tour operator put the number at well over $30 million and even beyond $35 million, not including hotel costs (with the exception of the all kosher hotels), tour, and air costs.
For Israelis, some of the most popular destinations include Poland, Romania (upward of 70,000 a year), Czech Republic and Italy (with some estimates at 150,000 Israelis).
In addition to Israel, the US and Canada are major sources for the kosher tourism, creating an unprecedented opportunity for kosher travel operators and many destinations.
