En route to record year in tourism for Israel

1.7 million tourists visited Israel since the beginning of 2008 (January – July), an increase of 41% over the same period last year, when one million tourists visited the country. Over 260,000 tourists visited Israel in July (an increase of 22% over July 2007) and a 75% increase over July 2006. The increase in incoming tourism is consistent with the Tourism Ministry's forecast of a record year for Israeli tourism - 2.8 million tourists in 2008.

According to the Central Bureau of Statistics, there has been a 25% increase in the number of arrivals by air (1.2 million) since the beginning of the year – 1.5 million tourists (31% more than 2007) and approximately 240,000 day visitors, three times more than the same period last year.

The Tourism Ministry is currently working to improve the professionalism of various sectors of the tourism industry, including, among others, passport control at border crossings, security personnel and tour guides in order to provide the tourist with a quality service and product as part of the ministry's preparations for the increased numbers of incoming tourists.

For the first time, the Ministry of Tourism is holding a special two day workshop this week for bus drivers, aimed at providing good service, the role of the bus driver as a service provider to tourists, communication skills etc.

Tourism Minister Ruhama Avraham-Balili: "The Tourism Ministry is working to improve the image of the tourism industry's professionalism in order to attract new employees, minimize the turnover of personnel and increase the professionalism of the various sectors of the industry – all this to improve the quality of service that is an important component of the tourism product and the industry's overall image We are working in conjunction with all the relevant bodies interested in moving the tourism industry forward."