3.1 Million Tourists Visited the Apartheid Racist Land Thieves

Israel Tourism Ministry: 2010 Breaks All Records With 3.1 Million Tourists

The Israel Ministry of Tourism announced today that the year 5770 of the Hebrew calendar, which ends in three weeks time, was the most successful Hebrew year for incoming tourism. Over 3.1 million tourists visited Israel during 5770 - 18% more than 5769 (2.6 million) and 10% more than 5768 (2.8 million).

Many of the tourists relaxed on the long, sandy beaches of Tel Aviv and Eilat while others tasted the history and charm of Jerusalem, Bethlehem, Nazareth, the Sea of Galilee, Masada, Haifa, the Negev desert and the Golan Heights.

During the past few months, the Israel Tourism Ministry has been preparing to welcome the 260,000 tourists who are expected to visit Israel during the Jewish holidays of Rosh Hashana in September as well as thousands from Israel who will visit tourism, leisure and entertainment sites around Israel.

Israel Tourism Minister Stas Misezhnikov has toured Israel in recent months to investigate the readiness and levels of cleanliness and maintenance of hotels, youth hostels and tourism sites. The minister will also visit several hotels in the coming days in Eilat, Jerusalem and Tel Aviv where particularly high levels of occupancy are expected in order to check their readiness for the upcoming Jewish New Year holidays.

Within the framework of the Israel Tourism Ministry’s preparations for welcoming tourists, inspection teams from the Tourism Ministry will carry out inspections in tourism areas where high tourist traffic is expected during the Jewish holidays, including tourist sites, hotels and city spaces, checking, among others, the readiness and levels of cleanliness and maintenance of hotels and tourism attractions in order to ensure a pleasant vacation for tourists and Israelis alike.

Israel Tourism Minister Stas Misezhnikov said that the marketing and PR efforts of the ministry in the last year have succeeded in significantly increasing incoming tourism and improving Israel’s image as an attractive tourism destination.

“The Tourism Ministry will increase its marketing activity in the coming year in order to progress the ministry’s target of bringing another million tourists to Israel by 2012 and 5 million by 2015.”

In the last few years Israel has moved away from advertising ancient, historic walls and has illustrated a far more human face with YouTube video ads displaying young, attractive people playing on the beaches.

In May 2010 the Israel Ministry of Tourism made certain that the world saw beyond the headlines of Islamic terrorism and so-called humanitarian flotillas to Gaza so that more tourists would be treated to a realistic view of the Holy Land. Bodden Partners, a New York advertising agency launched a $10 million campaign for the Israel Ministry of Tourism titled: "There's a Little Bit of Israel in All of Us" which has introduced thousands of Jews and Christians to Israel.

"This is by far the busiest season we have ever experienced," said Giora Salama, owner of the Gordon Inn Youth Hostel in Tel Aviv. "We had over 700,000 tourists last year just from the US. Even with the global recession affecting the travel and tourist industries, Israel was only off by nine percent compared to countries including Italy and Spain that were estimated to be down as much as by 35 percent."

Salama, who operates one of the cleanest and cheapest youth hostels in Tel Aviv, said that almost every room of the 27 rooms and dormitories that he rents out is booked through September.

And many are coming to Israel for more than just a mere visit. Over 240 new Israel immigrants, including a record-breaking 85 young adults who will join the Israel Defense Forces, were welcomed at Ben-Gurion Airport on Tuesday by Nefesh B’Nefesh and the Jewish Agency. More