February 2012 was a cracking month for tourism to Israel stats, with a total of 232,000 arrivals meaning February was a record breaker! It beat the previous highest February from 2010 by 4%, and was also up on last year by some 6%.
A total of 388,900 tourists have arrived in Israel since the start of 2012, which is almost identical to last year, when 388,500 tourists arrived in Israel.
Based on Central Bureau of Statistics data, there was a significant increase in tourism to Israel: 32,000 entries were day visitors, 55% more than February 2011; 21,300 entries were recorded through land borders – 4 times the amount of February 2011, which was largely down due to the uprising in Egypt. Showing the big ease in tensions, there were 8100 entries recorded from Taba to Eilat – 5 times the amount of February 2011.
There is also a stable trend in flights to Israel, with the 172,000 arrivals in February 2012 actually 1% down on February 2011. Since the beginning of 2012, 329,000 tourists have arrived by air, which is 1% up on the same period last year.
With a long hot summer heading for these parts, Israel could well be on its way to another record breaking year!
And if you’re looking for a reason to come, here are ten awesome reasons to visit Israel in 2012!