Tourism to Israel broke yet another all-time record in November, when 310,000 visitors entered the country – more than during any previous month in modern history.
This was 23% more than in November of 2009, and 19% more than the same month in 2008, which was Israel’s previous record year for tourism.
3.18 million tourists visited Israel in the first 11 months of this year – 26% more than the same period in 2009, and 12% more than that of 2008. This year has already become a record-breaking year, with more tourists having arrived in Israel so far than in all of 2008.
According to Tourism Ministry estimates, the record-breaking year of 2010 will finish with 3.45 million tourists – 26% more than 2009 and 14% more than 2008. Nearly 70% of them are Christian tourists.
The Tourism Ministry is preparing for the expected arrival of over 70,000 Christian tourists and pilgrims over the Christmas period – which, fortunately for Israeli tourism, is celebrated over a two-week period by different churches.
The Ministry estimates that 2.4 million Christian tourists – half of them pilgrims – are expected to visit Israel by the end of 2010, double the amount that visited Israel in 2009.
Another record was also achieved this year: 2.6 million tourists stayed in Israel for at least one night between January and November of this year – more than the total for all of 2008, which was 2,572,000.There were also 438,000 one-day visitors – a whopping 52% more than 2009 and 33% more than 2008. 151,500 visited Israel on cruise ships, a two to three-fold compared to the last two years.
Read more at Arutz Shevah.
{Arutz Shevah/Matzav.com}
Anyone hear any daas Torah on this whole issue..? Is it really something to celebrate that (after spending money to get them to come too) millions of goyim are coming to Eretz Yisrael to ‘celebrate Chrocksmass’ here..?? To me it smacks a bit of hanaa from avoda zara, but I’m no posek… and that’s on top of the whole question of having them here in the first place