Spokesperson's Office
2005-0005-1099:Reference
28 Kislev 5766
29 December 2005
Press Release
More than 1.7 million tourists enter Israel between January and November 2005
U.S. sends most visitors, 21 per cent more than during the same period last year
More than 1.7 million tourists entered Israel in the first 11 months of
"Israel is fast becoming a preferred tourism destination," says the country's Minister of Tourism Avraham Hirchson.
Travelers from other countries are also arriving in greater numbers. 285,600 arrived from France in between January and November (+22 per cent) and 141,500 from the United Kingdom (+8 per cent). 97,600 German tourists visited Israel (+38 per cent), 65,800 from Italy (+73 per cent). A 140 per cent jump was registered in the number of Spanish tourists with 46,800 visitors arriving from that country.
Data for other countries on attached documents.
| TOURIST ARRIVALS TO ISRAEL (EXC. CRUISE) BY NATIONALITY | |||||
| | | | | | |
| | November | November | % change | January - November | |
| | 2005 | 2004 | 2005/04 | 2005 | 2004 |
| TOTAL | 163,260 | 110,395 | 48% | 1,740,645 | 1,365,143 |
| ASIA | 13,611 | 10,123 | 34% | 126,928 | 101,047 |
| | | | | | |
| ASIA (FAR EAST) | 9,497 | 6,414 | 48% | 76,477 | 55,533 |
| INDIA | 2,032 | 1,395 | 46% | 16,610 | 11,812 |
| MALAYSIA | 425 | 121 | x | 1,350 | 480 |
| INDONESIA | 1,105 | 1,290 | -14% | 7,613 | 5,020 |
| CHINA | 449 | 384 | 17% | 3,614 | 2,671 |
| JAPAN | 1,236 | 557 | 122% | 7,483 | 5,824 |
| TAIWAN | 227 | 180 | 26% | 2,068 | 1,809 |
| KOREA | 1,845 | 853 | 116% | 24,981 | 17,763 |
| SINGAPORE | 1,148 | 1,030 | 11% | 5,090 | 4,581 |
| THAILAND | 195 | 106 | 84% | 1,480 | 1,162 |
| HONG KONG | 102 | 97 | 5% | 842 | 461 |
| PHILIPPINES | 733 | 401 | 83% | 5,346 | 3,950 |
| | | | | | |
| ASIA -OTHER | 4,114 | 3,709 | 11% | 50,451 | 45,514 |
| CYPRUS | 567 | 334 | 70% | 7,203 | 5,598 |
| TURKEY | 1,431 | 1,434 | 0% | 14,452 | 12,775 |
| LEBANON | 27 | 19 | 42% | 265 | 238 |
| JORDAN | 1,520 | 1,630 | -7% | 21,898 | 21,404 |
| OTHER | 569 | 292 | 95% | 6,633 | 5,499 |
| | | | | | |
| AFRICA | 2,919 | 2,125 | 37% | 42,594 | 31,569 |
| SOUTH AFRICA | 1,256 | 907 | 38% | 14,790 | 11,322 |
| EGYPT | 338 | 187 | 81% | 4,087 | 2,914 |
| MOROCCO | 183 | 217 | -16% | 3,051 | 3,098 |
| NIGERIA | 208 | 127 | 64% | 10,443 | 7,337 |
| OTHER | 934 | 904 | 3% | 10,223 | 7,114 |
| | | | | | |
| EUROPE | 87,923 | 59173 | 49% | 992,608 | 764,346 |
| NORDIC COUNTRIES | 5,186 | 2,343 | 121% | 42,627 | 32,077 |
| FINLAND | 529 | 322 | 64% | 7,187 | 6,179 |
| SWEDEN | 2,504 | 939 | 167% | 15,901 | 11,310 |
| NORWAY | 1,133 | 537 | 111% | 8,319 | 6,344 |
| DENMARK | 972 | 545 | 78% | 10,955 | 8,054 |
| UNITED KINGDOM | 12,169 | 10,859 | 12% | 141,457 | 131,476 |
| IRELAND | 553 | 376 | 47% | 6,560 | 3,902 |
| NETHERLANDS | 4,808 | 2,978 | 61% | 45,876 | 37,163 |
| BELGIUM | 2,091 | 1,687 | 24% | 23,312 | 19,960 |
| FRANCE | 17,853 | 14,865 | 20% | 285,550 | 234,145 |
| ITALY | 4,528 | 3,002 | 51% | 65,785 | 37,999 |
| SWITZERLAND | 2,065 | 1,455 | 42% | 23,749 | 20,744 |
| GERMANY | 9,890 | 5,964 | 66% | 97,601 | 70,562 |
| AUSTRIA | 1,577 | 842 | 87% | 12,216 | 10,062 |
| SPAIN | 4,664 | 1,760 | 165% | 46,798 | 19,345 |
| PORTUGAL | 684 | 531 | 29% | 7,778 | 3,037 |
| | | | | | |
| TOTAL CIS | 12,213 | 8010 | 52% | 107,390 | 90,622 |
| RUSSIA | 7,347 | 4,742 | 55% | 62,762 | 51,873 |
| UKRAINE | 2,688 | 1,788 | 50% | 26,292 | 22,611 |
| BELARUS | 689 | 355 | 94% | 5,320 | 4,266 |
| REP. OF MOLDOVA | 249 | 168 | 48% | 2,230 | 1,797 |
| UZBEKISTAN | 167 | 170 | -2% | 2,015 | 2,116 |
| GEORGIA | 271 | 171 | 58% | 2,484 | 1,943 |
| OTHER CIS | 802 | 616 | 30% | 6,287 | 6,016 |
| | | | | | |
| LATVIA | 248 | 132 | 88% | 2,777 | 2,001 |
| POLAND | 3,160 | 1,057 | 199% | 25,099 | 9,387 |
| HUNGARY | 1,222 | 651 | 88% | 8,173 | 6,276 |
| FORMER YUGOSLAVIA | 783 | 284 | 176% | 6,083 | 3,477 |
| ROMANIA | 797 | 532 | 50% | 8,856 | 7,282 |
| BULGARIA | 245 | 297 | -18% | 2,820 | 2,445 |
| CZECH REP. | 1,386 | 670 | 107% | 9,173 | 4,982 |
| SLOVAKIA | 478 | 294 | 63% | 6,895 | 6,693 |
| GREECE | 1,196 | 473 | 153% | 14,423 | 9,470 |
| OTHER | 175 | 111 | 58% | 1,875 | 1,429 |
| | | | | | |
| AMERICA | 56,528 | 36,917 | 53% | 547,335 | 441,315 |
| UNITED STATES | 44,517 | 29,257 | 52% | 415,264 | 343,989 |
| CANADA | 4,270 | 2,936 | 45% | 45,565 | 39,107 |
| MEXICO | 2,527 | 1,187 | 113% | 22,236 | 13,461 |
| CENTRAL & SOUTH AMERICA | 5,214 | 3,537 | 47% | 64,269 | 44,757 |
| URUGUAY | 124 | 131 | -5% | 2,945 | 2,685 |
| ARGENTINA | 776 | 548 | 42% | 13,261 | 10,456 |
| BRAZIL | 1,216 | 808 | 50% | 17,876 | 10,282 |
| CHILE | 312 | 139 | 124% | 4,776 | 3,373 |
| COLOMBIA | 671 | 666 | 1% | 8,220 | 5,731 |
| VENEZUELA | 193 | 102 | 89% | 3,028 | 2,283 |
| | | | | | |
| OCEANIA | 1,576 | 1,266 | 24% | 19,489 | 15,080 |
| AUSTRALIA | 1,392 | 1,075 | 29% | 16,967 | 12,924 |
| NEW ZEALAND | 156 | 165 | -5% | 2,238 | 1,971 |
| OTHER | 29 | 26 | 12% | 284 | 186 |
| | | | | | |
| NOT KNOWN | 704 | 784 | -10% | 10,314 | 11,378 |
