Tourism to Israel Increases 30 Per Cent

By Joel Leyden
Israel News Agency

Jerusalem----June 2......Tourism to Israel increased by over 30 percent in the period January through April 2006, according to the Israel Ministry of Tourism. The Israel Ministry of Tourism stated that 695,000 tourists entered Israel over the above stated period, a rise over the same period last year.

Tourist traffic to Israel from North America surged 34 per cent compared to the first four months of 2005. Over 174,000 visitors arrived from the United States (up 42 per cent) making the US the largest source of tourism to Israel.

Both Jews and Christians booked dozens of flights to the Holy Land with destinations to Jerusalem, Tel Aviv, Bethlehem, Nazareth, the Sea of Galilee, Haifa, Tzippori, Dead Sea, Jordan River and Eilat. Among the tourists were hundreds of young Jewish adults from the Jewish Agency sponsored Birthright program and hundreds of Jews coming over in hopes of finding a mate on a Jdate.com romantic trek.

"A 30 per cent growth in tourism to Israel is encouraging, and only emphasizes the need for further investment in the industry to realize our goal of bringing three million visitors to Israel this year," says Israel Minister of Tourism Isaac Herzog.

Significant increases in tourism were recorded from the following countries: Russia was up by 48 per cent, the Ukraine enjoyed a 41 per cent rise, Italy witnessed a 30 per cent increase, tourists from Austria increased by 70 per cent and tourist traffic to Israel from the United Kingdom expanded by 26 per cent.

"I am booked through Pesach and presently referring tourists to Israel to other tour guides," says Joe Yudin, a veteran Israel tour guide. "This is a real boom for the hotels, restaurants, airlines, taxis, other transportation services and the Israel tax authorities. I am now getting tourist bookings for next summer."

Yudin told the Israel News Agency: "This jump in tourism to Israel should also be a boom for the Palestinians but due to Hamas and Islamic Jihad hostile activity, Palestine will not feel it. They made their own bed and now they have to sleep in it."

Yudin's advice to both Jewish and Christian tourists and travel agents in New York, Chicago, Los Angles, Montreal, Toronto, London, Rome, Paris and Tokyo is to make your reservations well in advance to secure quality service and good lodgings.