Jerusalem – Israel’s Ministry of Tourism has announced that 2.4 million tourists have visited Israel since the beginning of 2018, a 17% increase in tourists for the same period in 2017.
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Citing findings from Israel’s Central Bureau of Statistics, the ministry said in a statement that the number of tourists is 46 percent more than in 2016, almost double the number of tourists that entered during the same period that year.
According to the ministry, 293,400 tourists entered Israel during July 2018 alone, which is around eight percent more tourists than in July 2017.
Over 250,000 tourists came by air, the release said, an 8.8% increase compared to July 2017. 26,200 of them came through land crossings into Israel, a 3.1% increase compared to that month the year before. (Israel only has land border crossings with Egypt and Jordan.)
“Month after month, we are witnessing new achievements and record highs in incoming tourism,” Minister of Tourism Yariv Levin (Likud) said in a statement. “I am pleased that, in the last month, we have also seen an impressive rise in incoming tourism… the tourism industry continues to be a significant factor in making exceptional impact and contributions to the Israeli economy and workforce.”
Levin also praised the ministry’s marketing initiatives and “innovative activities… Together with the incentives for airlines and investments in infrastructure,” for contributing to the rise in tourism.
In July 2018, the statement said, tourism revenue in Israel added up to around $436 million.
Wow. Hope they realize how many chareidim come too!
Hainan airlines bringing in 120000 chinese tourists this year to Israel
it is getting hard to shop in the shuk because of all the tourists…..
There would be even more tourists; however, Israeli hotels are not always the greatest, with their surly reception clerks, rooms which need remodeling, antiquated elevators, bad overall service, and toilet paper, which is like sand paper. Also, there are the taxi drivers who try to rip you off, as well as drivers who are very undisciplined.