2012 on track to be best year ever for Israel tourism

A total of 2.3 million tourists arrived in Israel between January and August 2012, a 7% increase compared to the same period last year and a new all-time high in travel to Israel. August 2012 also set a new high in tourism to Israel with the arrival of 298,000 travellers, a 10% increase compared to the same period last year and 7% more than in August 2010. “We are thrilled to see an overall increase in tourism in nearly every month of 2012,”said Haim Gutin, Israel Commissioner for Tourism, North and South America, “which is a great indicator of the growing international awareness and popularity of Israel as a world-class travel destination.”Cruise travel to Israel also saw an increase in August 2012 with the arrival of 12,000 cruise-based entries, a 39% increase compared to August 2011. (http://www.goisrael.com)