In January 2017, the flow of tourists from Russia to Israel reached 19,600, 23% more than the same period last year. And in February, 20,9000 thousand Russian tourists arrived, a whopping 54% increase over the same month last year, according to Israel’s Ministry of Tourism.
General Director of the Ministry of Tourism Amir Halevi stated that Israel values the Russian tourist market. Noting that 600,000 American tourists visited Israel in 2016, Halevi said that he hoped the Russian market would compete with the American market.
According to the ministry’s report, in 2016 Israel was visited by more than 2.9 million travelers from all over the world (not including one-day tourists), which was 4% more than in 2015. The all-time record was set in September-December 2016, when a total of more than a million tourists visited Israel.
Russian tourism to Israel in 2016 reached 266,000, with a significant increase in December, when 21,3000 Russian tourists arrived, 41% more than in the same period in 2015.