While tourism to Israel has decreased in 2009 compared with the previous year, there are signs that the decline is slowing down, and an upturn may not be far away, the Tourism Ministry says.
In April 2009, 252,000 tourists visited Israel, a decrease of 13 percent from the same month in 2008, when 290,000 tourists entered the country. It is still 23 percent higher than the figure for April 2007, which stood at 200,000.
The average decrease in incoming tourism in the first three months of 2009 was 25 percent, so a decline of only 13 percent in April is a good sign.
According to the Central Bureau of Statistics, 222,000 of incoming tourists stayed at least one night in Israel – a decrease of 13 percent compared to April 2008. 29,000 were day visitors – 17 percent less than in April 2008. A significant increase was recorded in the number of tourists arriving on cruises and stood at 5,200 in April 2009, 53 percent more than in 2008.
Minister of Tourism Stas Misezhnikov said Tuesday that despite the effects of the global economic crisis and the Gaza operation, “The Tourism Ministry has succeeded in slowing down the sharp declines in incoming tourism, thanks to intensive marketing activities. The Tourism Ministry will invest more than NIS 90 million ($22 million) in marketing activities around the world targeted at specific market segments, of which NIS 30 million has been allocated for the Catholic market following the Papal visit. These activities are designed to further reduce the decline as we move toward 2010 and bring us back to the achievements recorded in 2008, which was a record year for incoming tourism to Israel."