After a year when every month a new record seemed to be set, 2010 can now officially be declared as a record year for tourism to Israel. A whopping 3.45 million visitors stopped by in the Holy Land throughout the year, which is some 14% up on the previous record year in 2008 (which saw 3 million visitors)!
There may well have been a tightening of belts across the globe this past year or two but it seems that the Holy Land remains too big a temptation! The sun, the sites, the food and the beautiful people are just too much for an overdraft to compete with…
And with the area remaining relatively calm throughout the year, Israel has proven a very popular and very safe place to visit. Interesting to read that neighboring countries have also experienced increases in tourism numbers. Maybe somebody can round up all the regional leaders and bangs their head together to make them realise that stability in the region is good for all of us…peace in the Middle East baby!
The big question is – can 2011 be even better?
Well, with cheap flights aplenty now available from a variety of European cities, and Tel Aviv’s reputation as a new weekend hotspot, the future is looking rosy indeed.
Of course, many visitors to Israel are not here to party, but here for the awesome historical sites. There is huge Christian interest in Israel and its holy Christian sites, backed by numbers that appear to be growing rapidly every Easter and Christmas.
Our prediction: Israel will have another stonkingly amazing record year! And igoogledisrael.com will be here to guide you through all the awesome bits, as well as the not so awesome and the distinctly lame.
Here’s to a great 2011!