The 26th of May served as a historic day for Israel , which welcomed its first tour group since the onset of the pandemic.

The group landed at Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion Airport aboard United Airlines Flight 090 from Newark Liberty International Airport at 9:20 a.m. Eastern Standard Time.

It included 11 American theological students from Concordia Seminary in St. Louis, Mo., and their professor, who is serving as their escort.

The group was greeted by Israel Minister of Tourism Orit Farkash-Hacohen in a celebration marking the country’s official resumption of international tourism to the country.

“This is just the beginning of the long-awaited return of tourism to Israel – we plan to continue rolling out next steps and advancements in our phased approach over the coming weeks,” said Eyal Carlin, Israel’s commissioner of tourism in North America.

“Israelis are ecstatic and are ready, with open arms, to welcome international visitors back to the country.”

Over the coming weeks, 19 additional groups are scheduled to visit the country, with individual travelers set to arrive beginning in July.

In April, the country announced that it would begin welcoming vaccinated visitors from international countries through a pilot program , which kicked off on May 23.

All visitors traveling to Israel are required to be vaccinated and will undergo serological tests to validate vaccination upon arrival.