“This is the third consecutive record-breaking year for incoming tourism,” said Tourism Minister Yariv Levin.
By World Israel News Staff
Tourism is booming in the Jewish State.
This past week alone saw approximately 82,000 tourists arriving in Israel, and 24,000 more are expected to come before the Jewish New Year holiday, Rosh Hashanah, which begins on Sunday night, said the Israeli Tourism Ministry.
By the end of next week, the Tourism Ministry is predicting that over the past year, a record-setting 4.6 million people will have visited Israel. This is an 18% increase over the 3.9 million visitors the country had seen last year.
“This is the third consecutive record-breaking year for incoming tourism…These impressive increases are a direct result of the strenuous work and revolutionary changes made by the Ministry of Tourism, with an emphasis on expanding accommodation options in the country and reducing the cost of vacationing in Israel,” said Tourism Minister Yariv Levin.
”This year, too, the tourism industry continues to establish itself as a significant contributor to both the economy and employment,” he added.
According to financial estimates given by the ministry, these past 12 months brought in NIS 22.4 billion ($6.36 billion) in tourism revenue compared to NIS 19 billion ($5.4 billion) last year.
“The Ministry of Tourism will continue to promote diverse tourism products and brands in order to increase supply and continue the upward trend in incoming tourism,” said Amir Halevi, director-General of the Tourism Ministry.
”The momentum in the tourism industry creates opportunities and we are happy with the trend of increasing numbers of entrepreneurs who see tourism as an economic growth engine and invest in Israel,” he added.