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Thursday, January 9, 2014
Annual tourism report, all time record for Israel

Annual tourism report, all time record for Israel

9 January 2014

DECEMBER 2013
ALL TIME MONTHLY AND ANNUAL RECORD
FOR TOURIST ENTRIES TO ISRAEL:
24% INCREASE ON DECEMBER 2012
3% ANNUAL INCREASE

Domestic tourism - 16.7 million nights (all types of accommodation); 3% =

increase.

Leading source countries for incoming tourism:
USA, Russia, France, Germany, UK

Most visited city by incoming tourists
Jerusalem ( 75%) and Western Wall most visited site (68%).

53% of incoming tourists were Christian; half of them Catholic
28% were Jewish

Tourist satisfaction levels reached 4.3 out of 5.
Improvement on last year in the attitude of the general public to tourists, =

in entertainment and night life and accommodation facilities

Trend in tourist accommodation from tourist hotels to other types of =

accommodation (other hotels, youth hostels, Christian hostels and vacation =

rentals/ownership)

Tourism's contribution to the economy in 2013 - NIS 40 billion.
Number of direct employees in tourism - 100,000,
of whom one-third work in hotels.
Number of indirect employees in tourism - 195,000, about 6% of all =

employees.

Israel Ministry of Tourism

Tourism Minister Dr. Uzi Landau: "The year 2013 is a record year for touris=
m =

and we are proud of that. Despite Operation Pillar of Defense and the =

security situation in the region, tourists voted with their feet. The =

Tourism Ministry will continue to invest in maintaining the numbers of =

tourists arriving in Israel, by opening new markets and actively marketing =

the tourism product around the world. I wish all tourists a happy 2014."

DECEMBER 2013 STATISTICS: ALL TIME RECORD WITH 24% INCREASE IN TOURIST =

ENTRIES AND 14% MORE VISITOR ENTRIES

According to the Central Bureau of Statistics, 272,000 visitors entered =

Israel in December 2013, 14% more than December 2012 and !% and 3% higher =

respectively than December 2010 and 2011. Of these visitor entries, 241,00=
0 =

were tourists (staying more than one night), 24% more than December 2012, =

and 12% and 11% more than December 2010 and 2011 - an all-time record for =

the month. December was still registering a decrease in day visitors across =

the Egypt-Israel border as a result of the instability in Egypt. The =

decrease of 14% was less than that recorded in November.

211,000 entries were by air, 22% more than December 2012, of which 7,000 =

arrived on direct flights to Eilat (27% more than December 2012) . 30,000 =

came through the border crossings, 33% more than December 2012; 22,000 came =

through the border with Jordan (27% increase) and about 7,800 through Taba =

to Eilat (50% more than last December).

31,000 entries were recorded by day visitors, 29% less than December 2012. =

Of these, 12,000 arrived on cruise ships (47% less than last December). =

16,000 day visitors arrived via the land crossings (14% decrease on last =

year) and about 2,500 by air (9% more than last year).

Below: Tourism Statistics for 2013 - a record year for incoming tourism

TOURISM STATISTICS 2013

3.54 million visitors to Israel arrived in Israel in 2013, half a percent =

more than the previous record year of 2012. The number of tourist entries =

(not including day visitors) totaled about 2.9 million entries, a 3% =

increase compared to 2012. (There has been an average increase of 2.5% sinc=
e =

2008, both in visitor and tourist entries.)

The year 2013 was characterized by stability throughout the year, with smal=
l =

increases in the months March-June 2013 and small decreases in the months =

July-September 2013, followed by more increases in October - December 2013.

1. Tourism by mode of travel

Out of 3.5 million visitors, 2.6 million arrived by air (73%), an increase =

of 4% compared to 2012. About 381,000 came through the land borders (11%), =
a =

decrease of 6% compared to 2012. 578,000 entries (16%) were day visitors, a =

decrease of 9%: of these 257,000 came on cruise ships, an increase of 2% =

compared to 2012.

2. Tourism by Country of Origin (visitors, including day visitors and cruis=
e =

ships)

As in previous years, tourism from the USA continued to represent the =

largest country of origin for incoming tourism to Israel, with 623,000 =

visitors arriving in 2013, (representing 18% of all incoming tourism), 1% =

more than 2012. In second place and with a very small margin is tourism fro=
m =

Russia with 603,000 visitors, 3% more than 2012. Tourism from France takes =

third place, with about 315,000 visitors (5% more than last year), followed =

by Germany (254,000; 6% more than 2012) and the United Kingdom with 217,000 =

visitors each, 5% more than 2012.

Other countries worthy of note: Italy with 173,000 visitors, 2% more than =

last year; Ukraine with 134,000 visitors, 3% decrease compared to 2012; =

Poland, 89,000 visitors, 13% less than last year; 72,000 visitors from =

Canada (2% down on last year); from the Netherlands 57,000 visitors (down =

16%) and 53,000 from Spain (6% decrease).

3. Leading Countries of Origin (tourists, excluding day and cruise =

visitors):

In first place, USA with 597,000 tourists, 2% more than last year. In secon=
d =

place and with a wide margin, Russia with 405,000, 6% more than last year. =

In third place, France with 292,000, (11% more than 2012). In fourth place, =

UK with 173,000 followed by Germany with 160,000, Italy with 128,000, =

Ukraine with 108,000, Poland with 67,000, Canada with 65,000 and Brazil =

with 54,000.

4. Tourism to Israel: Characteristics*
- 53% of incoming tourism was Christian tourism (about half of which is =

Catholic), 28% Jewish tourism, with the remaining of other religious =

denominations or non affiliated.
- 54% of tourists were first time visitors, and 46% returning visitors.
- 22% defined their visit as part of a pilgrimage, 27% as tour and =

travel, 9% as vacation and leisure. Overall, 58% defined their visit for =

tourism purposes, 26% visited friends or relatives and 8% came for business =

or to attend conventions.
- 64% of tourists stayed in hotels, 25% stayed with friends or relatives =

and 4% stayed at youth hostels or religious hostels. 3% stayed in rented or =

owned apartments.

5. Sites/Cities Visited*
Jerusalem is the city most visited by incoming tourists in Israel, (75% of =

all tourists). Tel Aviv-Jaffa holds second place with 64% of all tourists =

having visited and in third place, the Dead Sea area with 51%. Tiberias =

holds fourth place with 44% of all tourists followed by Nazareth with 35%.

The most visited sites include the Western Wall (68%), the Jewish Quarter i=
n =

Jerusalem (64%), the Church of the Holy Sepulcher (57%) and the Via Doloros=
a =

(55%) and the Mount of Olives (53%).

* Source: Inbound Tourism Survey, Jan-June 2013

6. Tourist Satisfaction
The satisfaction level of tourists visiting Israel in 2013 was very good to =

excellent (4.3 out of 5 =96 excellent). Services that received a high ratin=
g =

included: archeological sites (4.4); tour guides (4.3); organized tours =

(4.2); personal security (4.1), nature and the environment and airport =

facilities (4). Among those services which did not rate so highly: tax-free =

shopping (3.3), taxis (3.2), disabled access in tourist sites (3.2) and =

value for money (3). There was an improvement registered in the following: =

attitude of the public; entertainment/nightlife; accommodation facilities.

6. Hotels
During 2013, 348 hotels operated in Israel with a total of about 48,600 =

rooms. 72 hotels with 9,500 rooms operated in Jerusalem, 50 hotels with =

11,000 rooms in Eilat, 55 hotels with 7,100 rooms in the Tel Aviv area, 15 =

hotels in the Dead Sea area with over 4,000 rooms and 48 hotels with 6,300 =

rooms in the Tiberias and Sea of Galilee area.

22.5 million bed nights were registered in these hotels through 2013, a =

slight increase (1%) on 2012. About 42% of these were from incoming tourist=
s =

(9.7 million bed nights, 1% less than 2012). Since 2008, there has been a =

trend in tourist bed nights, away from tourist hotels into other =

accommodation (youth hostels, Christian hostels and privately-owned/rented =

apartments). About 12.8 million bed nights (58% of the total) were from =

Israelis, an increase of 3% on 2012.

6. Domestic Tourism

About 16.7 million domestic overnight stays were registered in 2012 in all =

the various types of accommodation, 3% more than last year. There was an =

increase of 3% in hotel stays (13.7 million overnight stays). Rural tourism =

registered 1.9 million bed nights (1% less than 2012), 760,000 Israeli bed =

nights in youth hostels (9% increase), 339,000 in field schools (1% less =

than 2012).

It should be noted that there was a 9% increase in the numbers of Israelis =

traveling overseas in 2013 (4.7 million) as compared to 2012. Of those =

Israelis, 4.3 million traveled overseas by air (10% increase), with a =

decrease of 3% in those traveling by land (to Egypt and Jordan). This =

decrease was in large part due to the 5% decrease in Israelis traveling to =

Egypt.

7. Tourism's contribution to the Israeli economy

Revenue from incoming tourism in 2013 (including the income of the Israeli =

aviation companies from inbound tourism) totals about $5 billion or 18.2 =

billion NIS (a decrease of 8% - largely due to the decrease in the dollar =

rate in 2013 compared to 2012). Revenue from domestic tourism in 2013 =

totals about 12 billion NIS (2% more than in 2012), with another NIS 9 =

billion from outgoing tourism, a slight increase on last year. Total revenu=
e =

from tourism in 2013 is estimated at about 40 billion NIS, a slight decreas=
e =

on 2012.

The number of employees in the Israeli economy as a result of tourism =

activities totals about 100,000 in 2013, approximately one third of whom ar=
e =

employed in hotels. The total number of employees related to the tourism =

industry (direct and indirect) stands at about 195,000, 6% of all employees =

in Israel.

________________________________________
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