The details were published by the Inbound Tourism Survey
The recently-published 2011 Inbound Tourism Survey carried out by the Tourism Ministry, reveals new statistics related to the characteristics of incoming tourists to Israel.
The average length of time for a tourist to stay in Israel (among those staying for up
to 30 days) is 8.2 nights, a slight increase on last year. Most tourists stay in hotels or vacation resorts.
The average expenditure for a tourist in Israel (among those staying for up to 30 days) is US$1,497; for a one day visitor US$142 and for a tourist arriving on a cruise ship $230. The average expenditure for a tourist on an organized tour is US$1,725; for a tourist on a package deal US$1,539 and for a tourist traveling independently US$1,257.
Over half of the tourists visiting Israel are Christian (58%) and only 25% are Jewish. 1% are Moslem. 52% of all Christians are Catholic and 21% are Protestants. There is a high proportion of Christian tourists arriving from Nigeria, Poland, Portugal and Italy, and Jewish tourists from France, Argentina, Belgium and England.
41% of tourists were aged 25-44, and 22% were over than 55%, mainly pilgrims from Portugal and Austria. 61% of tourists in 2011 said that this was their first visit to Israel, and 39% said that it was a repeat visit. 82% of the tourists making a repeat visit were Jews, mainly to visit family and friends.
