Israel received nearly 3.5 million visitors in 2010, the highest number of visitors to Israel in one year. 14% increase compared to previous record in 2008
Tourism Minister, Stas Misezhnikov, announced last Monday that preliminary figures show Israel received nearly 3.5 million visitors in 2010. This represents the highest number of visitors to Israel in one year.
The figures show 14% increase compared to previous record of about three million tourists in 2008. Tourism slid in 2009 during the global economic crisis.
More than two-thirds of the tourists were Christian, and 23 percent were Jewish. About one-fifth of the tourists came from the United States. Visitors also came in large numbers from Russia, France, Britain and Germany.
In a news conference Monday, Tourism Minister said that Israel could reach the 4 million mark for tourists by next year. He said his ministry would focus on new markets with potential for growth, including China, India and Poland.
"The year 2010 is a milestone for the Israeli tourism industry, a year in which both the government and the economy in general understood that tourism is an economic force of the first degree, one of the most important in the economy and one that should be related to accordingly," Misezhnikov said.
The most-visited site was the Western Wall, which 77% of all tourists visited, followed by Jerusalem's Jewish Quarter with 73%, the Church of the Holy Sepulcher with 61% and the Via Dolorosa with 60%. The ministry expects to have final 2010 numbers in January.
