Record-breaking tourism seen in Israel for month of May
Numbers show a jump of 33 percent from same period in 2009; greatest increase in visitors come from Denmark, Ukraine.
By JPOST.COM STAFFtel aviv beach front_311(photo credit: (Marc Israel Sellem/The Jerusalem Post))
The number of tourists visiting Israel hit record numbers last month, showing a small increase from May 2010 but a huge jump from May 2009, the Ministry of Tourism announced Tuesday.A total of 308,000 visitors arrived in the Holy Land last month, a record-breaking figure that included an uptick of five percent from the numbers who arrived in May 2010. The number of tourists was an increase of 33 percent from May 2009.RELATED:Tourism, environment ministers urge dead sea salt harvestDirect Tel Aviv-Stockholm flights to resume in JuneTourism Minister Stas Miseznhikov, who spoke Sunday from Milan where he was in meetings as part of Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu's delegation, said about the optimistic numbers, "The success of the Tourism Ministry in stabilizing incoming tourism to Israel, given the geopolitical situation in the region ... is both impressive and important."Miseznhikov met with his Italian counterpart, Michela Vittoria Brambillato, on Monday to discuss strategies for promoting bilateral tourism to both Israel and Italy."This is the time to exploit opportunities, to be flexible and respond swiftly and, at the same time, to maintain ongoing market analysis," Miseznhikov said. "We will work to maximize the marketing investment and significantly shorten the period of recovery."Israel is enjoying a 40% increase in visitors from Ukraine, likely due to the recent loosening on visa laws, as well as a 59% uptick in visitors from Denmark, thanks to the introduction of direct flights between Copenhagen and Tel Aviv.
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