3.2 million tourists visited Israel in the first ten months of 2017, up 27% from the corresponding period of 2016, the Central Bureau of Statistics reports. This is a new all-time record. In September and October 2017, 764,000 tourists visited Israel, up 33% from the corresponding period of 2016. These figures include day-trippers who do not stay overnight in the country (mainly from cruises).
Between January and October 2017, the country with the most tourists visiting Israel was the US with 651,000 tourists, up 22% from last year. In second place was Russia with 273,000 tourists, up 28% from last year.
Tourism was up 61% from Poland, 57% from Romania, 55% from China, 32% from Germany, 29% from Italy, 14% from Ukraine, 11% from the UK and 9% from France.
Earlier this week, Israel's 3 millionth tourist (not including daytrippers), Ioana Isac, 31, from Romania and her partner Mihai Georgescu were given the red carpet treatment at Ben Gurion Airport and given a helicopter tour of the country as well as being shown around Jerusalem's David Citadel by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Published by Globes [online], Israel business news - www.globes-online.com - on November 9, 2017
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