All the news about Israeli tourism

Data released by Dun & Bradstreet’s annual ‘Duns 100’ shows that the most popular tourist and leisure site in Israel during 2008 was the Masada National Park with a total of 721,915 visitors.  This was an increase of 16.5 percent on 2007.

Not only is Masada the most popular tourist site, but it is also the most profitable.  Total revenue in 2008 was close to 29 million shekels, an increase of 29.3 percent on the previous year.  The Biblical Zoo in Jerusalem which topped the popularity charts last year was ranked third this year.

The second most popular tourist and leisure site in Israel was Caesarea Maritima with a total of 713,648 visitors, an increase of 20.7 percent on the previous year.  Despite the large number of visitors to the ancient port of Caesarea, total revenue totaled only 8.4 million shekels.

The Biblical Zoo, in third place, saw 687,647 visitors in 2008, down by 0.8 percent on the previous year.  Revenue fell by 3.4 percent compared to 2007, totaling 24 million shekels.

The fourth most popular site was the Safari Park in Ramat Gan, where the number of visitors totaled 581,800, a reduction of 1.4 percent on 2007.  The hot springs of Hamat Gader were ranked in fifth place with half a million visitors and in sixth place the Underwater Observatory Marine Park in Eilat. 

The combined total for the top ten tourist and leisure sites in Israel was 5.3 million visitors; an increase of 7.5 percent on 2007.  The largest increases in visits were recorded at historical and nature sites; those aimed mainly at the overseas tourists.  In contrast, sites specifically aimed at the Israeli tourist, registered only moderate increases in the number of visitors.

According to Reuven Kovent, CEO of Dunn & Bradstreet in Israel, 2008 was a record year for incoming tourism to Israel, with more than 3 million visitors and the most noticeable factor being the increase in the number of entrances to place of heritage and nature. However Kovent noted that the effects of the worldwide economic recession were already being felt, with a fall in the number of visitors to sites and attractions, intended in the main for Israelis. He added that the severity of the recession would be reflected in the data for 2009.