Israeli tourism skyrockets: September’s year-over-year number jumps 44%

Some 405,000 tourists come to Israel this September, 44% more than in September 2018.

By Adi Pick and Tomer Hadar, CTECH

Approximately 405,000 tourist entries into Israel were recorded in September, 44% more than in September 2018 and 46% more than September 2017, the country’s Central Bureau of Statistics said Thursday.

Between January and September 2019, nearly 3.3 million tourist entries were recorded, compared to 2.9 million in the same period last year, an increase of 13%.

Israel’s Ben Gurion Airport saw its busiest month ever in August, with 2.8 million passengers buzzing through it, the Israel Airports Authority (IAA) announced last month. In September, approximately 2.3 million passengers traveled through the airport, while October will see an estimated 2.28 million travelers.

The most popular destinations for flights leaving Israel’s main airport are Turkey, Greece, the U.S., Italy, and Russia, the IAA said.

The airlines that flew the most passengers last month to and from Israel were Israel’s national carrier El Al, which flew 541,000 passengers, low-cost airline WizzAir, which flew 121,000 passengers, and Turkish Airlines, with 107,000 passengers to and from Ben Gurion Airport.