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Tourist in Tel Aviv (archives)
Photo: Zvika Tishler

Tel Aviv tourism sees all-time high

Over 2 million tourist stays recorded in city's hotels in 2008. Study shows Israelis from other cities spend average of NIS 6,600 in Tel Aviv every year

The Israel Hotel Association (IHA) reported Monday that the year of 2008 saw an all-time high in incoming tourism to the city of Tel Aviv.

 

The number of tourists who visited the city this year was even higher than that of the year 2000, which included the pope's visit to Israel.

 

So far, the number of tourist stays in 2008 has totaled 2.15 million nights. A significant rise of more than 10% in tourist stays in Tel Aviv was recorded in the month of November as well, despite the global financial crisis.

 

The rise in the number of tourist entries derives from a significant increase in the amount of tourists coming from Russia after Israel eliminated their visa requirements, and from a 60% rise in the number of tourists from Germany compared to last year.

 

Eti Gargir, CEO of the Tel Aviv Tourist Association, noted that in order to reach these results the association invested more than NIS 25 million (about $6.53 million) in efforts to market the city.

 

According to Gargir, the multiple tourist entries create an income in the city's recreation, culture, food and shopping industries.

 

Visiting and shopping

Foreign tourists are not the only ones arriving in Tel Aviv. Israelis also visit the city for recreation and shopping purposes, spending more than NIS 23 billion ($6 billion) a year – an average of NIS 6,600 ($1,725) per person.

 

The MarketWatch research institute conducted a survey on expenditures in Tel Aviv among a national representative sample of 500 people aged 16 and up, who are not residents of Tel Aviv and do not visit the city for work.

 

The poll showed that this public, which totals some 4 million people, visits the city once every three weeks on average. Forty-two percent of the respondents arrive in Tel Aviv between once a month to once every few months, 18% arrive once a week, 14% once a year, 10% once every few weeks, and the rest visit Tel Aviv once every few years.

 

The city's visitors spend money on shopping (42%), on recreation, culture and leisure (30%), on food (14%), on private transportation (7%), on cosmetics (4%) and on public transportation (3%).

 


פרסום ראשון: 12.17.08, 09:20
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