Israel has marked its historic record in tourism with 349,000 tourists visiting Israel in April, 2017 – the highest ever figure for any month since 1948 and an increase of about 40 per cent over last year. Since January 2017, tourism has injected a record NIS 6 billion into the Israeli economy. This achievement is attributed to marketing budgets and a shift in Israel’s international marketing policy.
Israel’s tourism minister Yariv Levin said, “When there is clear policy, we see results. Every month, we are witnessing exceptional statistics that illustrate the progress we are spearheading in the tourism industry and its tremendous contribution to the Israeli economy and workforce. This important and exciting milestone is part of a positive trend that has been taking place over the last half year or more. I hope and believe that, with hard work, we will continue to reap the benefits of this investment.”
In January- April 2017, 1.09 million tourist entries were recorded, an increase of 26 per cent on the same period in 2016 (850,000). A total of 964,000 tourists arrived by air, 24 per cent more than the same period in 2016.
Israel received 15,000 visitors from India in January – April 2017, an increase of 26 per cent on the same period in 2016.