The Tourism Ministry says 27 percent more tourist entries were recorded in January 2017 (210,000) over a year earlier (165,000); and the figure is 25 percent more than was recorded in January 2015.
Tourism from China rose 300 percent this past year, according to the statistics, and 100 percent from Poland.
In this year’s International Mediterranean Tourism Market (IMTM) Tourism Minister Yariv Levin says tourists from Turkey were noted in particular, after an absence of several years.
“For the last few consecutive months we have witnessed record figures in incoming tourism to Israel,” Levin said.
“The marketing activities and the steps we are taking to brand Israel in the campaign, “Two Cities One Break” are proving themselves time after time. I am convinced that if we continue this path, we will see additional significant increases in the future,” he added.
Levin met on Monday with his counterpart, Turkish Tourism Minister Nabi Avci. He also met with other tourism ministers and leading figures in the global tourism industry who came from overseas to participate in the IMTM.
During the event the ministry also held a conference to mark seven years of activity developing rural tourism in the Druze and Circassian communities, and presented social tourism initiatives of women working from their homes in the Jerusalem area.