Incoming tourism hits new record in November

Incoming tourism in November set an all-time record, with 287,900 tourists visiting Israel, 38% more than in November 2015. Some 2,651,400 tourists visited Israel from January through November this year, 2% more than in the corresponding period last year.

Most of the tourists came by air. Only 34,000 arrived by land, mostly from Jordan.

Tourism Minister Yariv Levin attributed the record to his ministry’s marketing efforts in new countries, including India and China, that “together with focused campaigns for the winter season, caused a record rise in incoming tourism in November.”

“Our goal is to continue the focused campaigns to meet the challenge of creating a continuous increase in tourist traffic,” he said. “This is proof of the tourist industry’s enormous potential and that the innovative measures we are taking are making an immediate substantial contribution to the Israeli economy.”

Tourism Ministry figures show that tourism generated more than NIS 1.5 billion in revenue for the economy in November, an increase of NIS 400 million over the revenue generated in October 2015.

“This amount almost equals Israel’s entire annual tourism marketing budget,” Levin said.

A relaxation of regulatory restrictions for hoteliers was approved on Thursday. They are intended to increase competition, thereby lowering the cost of overnights in Israel, which is among the highest in the world.

The winter campaign of direct flights to Uvda Airport near Eilat, which includes incentives for airlines, is also meant to boost incoming tourism.