1.7m visitors between January and August 2009

A total of more than 2.6 million tourists have visited the country during the Jewish year 5769 which ended last week
 
Israel's Tourism Ministry noted last week that between January and August 2009 Israel welcomed 1.7m visitors, 16% less than the number in the same period last year, but 16% more than in 2007.
 
In a press release the ministry said that in August 09 alone, there were 260,000 visitors, down just 2% from August of 2008, when 265,000 tourists entered the country.
 
A total of more than 2.6 million tourists have visited the country during the Jewish year 5769 which ended last week.
 
Tourism Minister Stas Misezhnikov said in a press release that marketing efforts and other campaigns, along with the Pope's visit here in May, served to temper the plunge in incoming tourism at the beginning of the year. For the past few weeks the Tourism Ministry has been making preparations for some 270,000 tourists expected to arrive over the holiday season, he said.