Just The Facts: Tourism in Israel

Last year will probably be considered another peak year for tourism in Jerusalem.

By AVIEL YELINEK
temple mount 224.88 (photo credit: Areil Jerozolimski [file])
temple mount 224.88
(photo credit: Areil Jerozolimski [file])
The year 2000 registered a peak in the number of tourists in Israel and Jerusalem. During that year the number of overnight stays in Jerusalem hotels was 3,435,200 - of which foreign tourists accounted for 85 percent. However, in 2001, following the outbreak of the second intifada in September 2000, the number of foreign tourists visiting Jerusalem dropped sharply. Domestic tourism was not affected, however. Starting in 2003, the number of foreign tourists began to pick up and, with it, the number of hotel stays in Jerusalem. In 2007, the number of foreign tourists in Jerusalem peaked, and the number of hotel stays in Jerusalem surpassed its number in 2000: 3,521,200 (of which foreign tourists accounted for 82 percent). The number of overnight stays in hotels in 2007 was almost triple the number in 2002 - a mere 1,256,900 (of which foreign tourists accounted for only half). Last year will probably be considered another peak year for tourism in Jerusalem. The number of overnight stays in Jerusalem hotels over the first nine months of the year was more than 3 million, compared to 2.5 million in the corresponding period in 2007. As can be seen from the graph, Jerusalem and Tel Aviv attract foreign tourists, whereas Eilat and the Dead Sea attract Israeli tourists. www.jiis.org.il