Compared to 2018, this is a 7% rise in tourist arrivals!
Our group of 20 hosted by Dennis & Linda Gingerich of TransforMissional Travel made up a portion of those travelers! This article came from Rick Ricart, the owner of Imagine Tours and Travel, who makes our tours a delightful experience.
An analysis of the seasonally adjusted data provided by Israel’s Central Bureau of Statistics indicates that in the last three months (February – April 2019),
384,000 tourists arrived on average each month compared with 372,000 that arrived from November 2018 through January 2019. This growing trend in
tourist arrivals constitutes a rise of 3%. 352,000 tourists arrived by air and 54,000 tourists arrived via land crossings. Not bad for a tiny country like Israel.
TRAVEL WEEKLY FOCUSES ON ISRAEL’S SUCCESS
‘The Israel Ministry of Tourism has made all the right moves and the nation has enjoyed skyrocketing visitor numbers… Now the country is racing to boost its infrastructure and hotel inventory to meet the demand.’
Writing in “Travel Weekly”, Johanna Jainchill says that “even in an era of booming global travel, Israel’s success stands out. The pint-size country has made huge gains in its tourism numbers over the past few years.
In 2018, Israel attracted a record 4.1 million visitors, 14% more than in 2017 and a whopping 42% more than in 2016. And 2019 shows no sign of any slowdown, with 683,000 visitors in January and February marking an increase of 16% compared with the same period last year. Hoteliers have taken note. In 2018 alone, 3,829 hotel rooms opened, a year-over-year increase of 49%. They included the highly anticipated Setai Tel Aviv and the Jaffa, a Luxury Collection Hotel.
Opening this year is a Six Senses resort and a Nobu Hotel, among many properties. El Al is launching nonstop flights between here and both Las Vegas and San Francisco this year; it will add Chicago in 2020.
Myriad factors have contributed to Israel’s success, but one thing that travel advisors and suppliers seem to agree on is that the Israel Ministry of Tourism deserves much of the credit. The ministry shifted its strategy in recent years from targeting only religious groups — 61% of Israel tourists self-identify as Christian — to marketing to adventure travelers, and foodies, among other niches.
Best regards,
Rick-
Rick Ricart | President
Honor God I Impact Lives I Enrich Faith
imagine Tours & Travel, LLC
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