And now, for the numbers: a 21% drop in tourist entries in July, and 26% drop in day visitors to Israel, compared with July 2013, the Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS) reports.
As expected, Operation Protective Edge led to a significant drop in tourist travel to and from Israel. In July, 218,000 travelers visited Israel in total (day-visitors and tourists) - the lowest number since January 2013, just after Operation Pillar of Defense.
July 2014 saw a significant drop in tourists to 194,000, 21% less than July 2013. The number of day-visitors dropped 50% compared with last year, to just 24,000.
The data further indicate that on July 22-25, the days on which foreign carriers suspended flights to Israel, another low was recorded: only 2,300 tourist entries per-day came through Ben Gurion airport.
However, an analysis of the data from January through July shows that the overall upward trend is maintained: during this period 1.9 million tourists entered Israel, 13% more than in the corresponding period of 2013.
Minister of Tourism Dr. Uzi Landau said, “Tourism was hit all around the country, not only in the south. We will work with all our strength to expand the compensation range for tourism-based businesses beyond the 40 km radius from the Gaza Strip. In parallel, we are working on measures to bring tourism back to Israel.
He added, “The positive results from the ‘Davka now, an Israel vacation,’ campaign are already being registered, and we are beginning to see a rise in reservations at tourist businesses around Israel. I am happy that other ministers have joined in calling upon Israeli citizens - now is the time to go enjoy the various tourist sites in Israel. Blue and white tourism is true Zionism at a time like this.”
Published by Globes [online], Israel business news - www.globes-online.com - on August 11, 2014
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