Israel breaks record of incoming tourists in the Jewish year 5779
The numbers published include an estimate of an additional 24 thousand tourists who are still expected to arrive during the last couple of weeks of the year.
By JERUSALEM POST STAFFAn orthodox Jew takes pictures of tourists at the Western Wall(photo credit: MARC ISRAEL SELLEM)
A record 4.6 million tourists visited Israel during 5779, according to data published by the Tourism Ministry ahead of the beginning of the new Jewish year. An estimated 24,000 travelers are also expected to arrive during the next few weeks.The record constitutes an 18% increase since the previous year, from 3.9 million to 4.6 million tourists with a revenue of NIS 22.4 billion this year, as opposed to NIS 19 billion last year.“This is the third year we are breaking the all-time record in tourism,” Tourism Minister Yariv Levin explained. “The impressive increase is a direct result of strenuous work and revolutionary change made by the Ministry, with an emphasis on expanding accommodation options in the country and lowering holiday prices. The momentum in the tourism industry creates opportunities, and we are happy about the trend in the number of entrepreneurs who see tourism as an economic growth engine and investors in Israel.”Tourists spent no less than seven days in Israel on average. During the month of Tishrei, tourists visited for a record of 11 days on average.
