A record 3.5 Million tourists visit Israel over past 12 months

This figure marked a 3% increase in number of tourists visited Israel over and above the corresponding year.
 
The Tourism Ministry announced on 12 September that a record 3.5 million tourists visited Israel over the past 12 months. This figure marked a 3% increase in number of tourists visited Israel over and above the corresponding year.
 
The figures show that revenue from incoming tourism reached NIS18 billion (US$4.5 billion), an increase of 10% from the previous year. According to the figures, in which tourism grew most was the number of visitors arriving on cruise ships, which rose 24%. Of the 3.5 million tourists who visited Israel in the past year, around three million stayed more than one night, a 2% increase over the corresponding year.
 
In the past year, the Tourism Ministry has allocated grants for the construction of 18 new hotels in Israel, which will add 2,119 rooms throughout the country. Half the new hotels will be in Jerusalem, where the Tourism Ministry said there is a serious shortfall in hotel rooms.