September sets record in tourist visits
Some 284,000 visitors enter Israel despite dramatic drop in number of tourists in recent months due to political unrest in Middle East. 'Israel a favored destination,' says tourism minister
According to the Tourism Ministry, these are the highest figures ever for September. Some 229,000 tourists (who spent at least one night in Israel) and 54,000 one-day visitors entered the country throughout the month.
The past few months have seen a dramatic drop in the number of one-day visitors in light of the political unrest in Israel's neighboring countries.
Despite the encouraging data for September, Israel is still affected by tourists' fears to visit the Middle East. The first nine months of the year saw 2.4 million visitors enter Israel – a 1% drop compared to the same period in 2010, which was a record year for incoming tourism.
The figures point to a 35% rise in tourist entries through the Eilat and Ovda airports, totaling 46,000 entries in 2011 compared to 34,000 in the same period last year.
Decision time for Dead Sea
Tourism Minister Stas Misezhnikov said that "in spite of the recent regional and international events, we have managed to position Israel as a favored and attractive destination for tourists and bring their number to a new record."
The minister noted that on November 11, the Dead Sea will be competing against 27 other famous landmarks to become one of the New7Wonders of Nature.
"I call on all of Israel's residents to vote for the Dead Sea, encourage their relatives and friends across the world to join the vote, and help the Dead Sea win the respectable title."
And what about Israelis' departures abroad? According to the CBS, some 3.5 million departures abroad were recorded during the first nine months of 2011 – a 2.4% increase compared to the same period of 2010.
- Follow Ynetnews on Facebook
