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Some 47,500 hotel rooms in Israel waiting for tourists
Photo: AP

Hotels host 22 million tourists in 2011

Despite Mideast revolutions and uprisings, 2011 ends with 21.9 million overnight stays in Israeli hotels – similar to previous year

Despite an unusually dramatic year, characterized by uprisings and revolutions in Arab countries, a financial crisis in Europe and the United States and a social protest in Israel, 2011 ended with the same number of overnight hotel stays as 2010.

 

The total number of overnight stays in Israeli hotels in 2011, by both foreign and Israeli tourists, was 21.9 million – similar to 2010.

 

The number of foreign tourist stays totaled some 10 million, as in 2010. Jerusalem recorded 3.2 million stays – 2.7 million of them in the eastern part of the city (down 5% from 2010); Tel Aviv recorded 2.3 million stays (up 3%); Eilat – 1.1 million stays (up 7%); Tiberias and the Sea of Galilee area – 1 million stays (up 2%); the Dead Sea – 600,000 stays (up 4%); Netanya – 352,000 stays (up 9%); Haifa – 271,000 stays (no change from 2010); Nazareth – 264,000 stays (down 12%); Herzliya – 153,000 stays (up 1%); and the Galilee – 106,000 stays (down 6%).

 

The number of Israelis' overnight stays totaled 11.9 million, similar to 2010. Eilat recorded 5.7 million stays (down 3%); the Dead Sea – 1.7 million stays (up 4%); Tiberias and the Sea of Galilee area – 1.3 million stays (up 2%); Jerusalem – 683,000 stays (up 4%); Tel Aviv – 503,000 stays (down 1%); the Galilee – 447,000 stays (up 3%); Haifa – 237,000 stays (down 4%); Netanya – 155,000 stays (up 5%); Nazareth – 78,000 stays (up 39%); and Herzliya – 69,000 stays (down 11%).

 

The average room occupancy in 2011 was about 66%, similar to 2010. In the Dead Sea, occupancy stood at 77% (a 4% increase compared to the average occupancy in 2010); In Tel Aviv – 75% (up 3%); in Eilat – 68% (down 1%); in Haifa – 68% (up 5%); in Jerusalem – 64% (down 3%); in Herzliya – 62% (no change from 2010); in Netanya – 60% (down 4%); in Tiberias and the Sea of Galilee area – 60% (down 5%); in the Galilee – 58% (no change); and in Nazareth – 54% (down 12%).

 

According to Israel Hotel Association President Ami Federman, "We have maintained stability in the number of hotel stays and occupancy in a year of turbulences and crises, and that's a nice accomplishment.

 

"The results point to the tourism industry's great strength and ability to develop, accommodate more foreign tourists and increase tourism's share in the State's economy.

 

"Nonetheless, the developments in the security-related situation in the region and the financial situation, mainly in Europe, are a cause for concern and worries."

 

The number of hotel rooms at the end of 2011 stood at 47,500 – a 1% increase compared to the end of 2010.

 

December 2011 in Israeli hotels

• Total number of hotel stays (tourists and Israelis): Some 1.7 million – no change compared to December 2011.

• Total number of tourists' overnight stays: Some 711,000 (up 2% from December 2011)

• Total number of Israeli stays: Some 946,000 (down 2% from December 2010

• Room occupancy stood at 59% (a 1% drop)

 

 


פרסום ראשון: 01.27.12, 14:40
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