Some 200,000 tourists visited the country last month for more than one night, a 19% increase from January 2013 and an all-time record for the month
Some 229,000 visitors entered Israel in January 2014, a 6% increase from January 2013, but lower than the months of January 2011 and 2012, according to the Central Bureau of Statistics. Of these visitor entries, 200,000 were tourists (staying more than one night), a 19% increase from January 2013, and 6% and 5% more than January 2012 and 2011 – an all-time record for the month.
January was still registering a decrease in day visitors across the Egypt-Israel border, and there was also a significant decrease in the numbers of cruise visitors.
Some 167,000 entries were by air, a 16% increase from January 2013, of which 6,000 arrived on direct flights to Eilat (66% more than January 2013). About 33,000 came through the border crossings, 39% more than January 2013; 22,000 came through the border with Jordan (a 27% increase) and about 10,800 through Taba to Eilat (a 69% increase from last January).
About 29,000 entries were recorded by day visitors, 40% less than January 2013. Of these, 6,700 arrived on cruise ships (a 69% decrease from last January). Some 21,000 day visitors arrived via the land crossings (an 18% decrease from last year) and about 2,000 by air (23% less than last year).
“This is an excellent beginning for 2014, following the record year for incoming tourism to Israel in 2013,” said Tourism Minister Dr. Uzi Landau, noting that the 2014 International Mediterranean Tourism Market (IMTM) opens in Tel Aviv on Tuesday.
“IMTM brings together people in the tourism industry from Israel and overseas. The Tourism Ministry will have its own booth, and is hosting dozens of travel agents and tour operators from overseas at the exhibition in order to expose them to Israel’s unique and attractive tourism product. We are aiming for another record year for tourism in 2014,” Landau added.
Source: Ynetnews.com
