Israel Saw $5.9 Billion in Tourism Revenue in 2018

Israel saw $5.9 billion (NIS 22 billion) in tourism-related revenues in 2018, according to data published Sunday by the Israeli Ministry of Tourism. More than 4 million tourists visited Israel that year, a 14% rise from 2017. The busiest month was October, with nearly half-million tourists, with January 2018 being the slowest, with only a quarter million visitors.

According to a report on global tourism trends published in December by U.K.-based market research company Euromonitor International, Israel’s capital Jerusalem saw the highest rise in tourism this year. Euromonitor predicted Jerusalem would see 4.8 million tourists in 2018, 38% more than in 2017—and 800,000 more tourists than the official number as published by the Israeli government.