Israel and the Ukraine have begun discussing the idea of cancelling the visa requirement for tourism between the two countries. The Director General of the Ministry of Tourism, Shaul Tzemach, said: "With every 100,000 tourists creating 4,000 new jobs, mainly in the periphery, canceling visa requirements for tourists is of great importance in increasing jobs and workers in the economy, alongside narrowing the gaps and reducing unemployment."

Israel and Russia agreed to cancel visa requirements last month, and their joint decision is scheduled for implementation in the next few months.

In 2007, about 75,000 tourists visited Israel from Ukraine, up from about 30,000 in 2006. Over 22,000 tourists from Ukraine entered during the first two months of 2008 – four times the number that entered in the same period in 2007. Due to the difficulties in obtaining a tourist visa for a longer period – and the relative ease in obtaining a one day group visa - many Ukrainian tourists visiting Israel only stay for 24 hours. Cancellation of the visa requirements would allow these Ukrainian tourists to stay in Israel for longer - and the tourism industry to benefit from the increased expenditure.