Israel Sets Another Tourism Record High

Over the past couple of years, the nation of Israel has seen a dramatic increase in hotel construction and tourism. In April, Israel’s Ministry of Tourism released its tourism numbers for the first quarter of 2014—and these statistics reveal yet another all-time high.

From January through March of this year, more than 700,000 tourists from around the world arrived in Israel, a 17% increase compared to the same period in 2013. Twenty percent of those tourists came from North America.

This followed on the heels of 2013, during which a record 3.54 million tourists visited Israel. “The beginning of this year has proved the busiest season so far with incoming tourism records being broken right, left and center,” reports Sar-El Tours, our travel partner in Israel. “March and April have been exceptionally busy months with groups pouring into the country one after the other.”

As we’ve written before, though the larger Middle East region may have a reputation for conflict, Israel remains an island of security. In cities like Jerusalem and Tel Aviv, children attend school, professionals walk to and from work, and retail shops serve their customers just like any city in the United States—only in Israel, these cities exist near the ancient and holy locations of the Bible.

Our organization continues to partner with favorite pastors, authors and musicians to lead tour after tour to Israel, where the Scriptures come alive like never before. Is there an upcoming tour that interests you?