According to the Ministry of Tourism, 3.6 million visitors came to Israel during the Jewish year 5771 - a 17% increase compared to the year 5770. Of those visitors, 3 million stayed for more than one night, a 21% increase from the previous year. The United States led the list of origin countries visiting Israel with 630,000 visitors, a 19% increase as compared to the year 5770, followed by Russia (560,000) and France (290,000).

Minister of Tourism, Stas Misezhnikov, stated, "Israel is a tourism challenge for every Israeli tourist and, of course, for foreign tourists. The upcoming holiday season is a wonderful time of year to travel, and I call upon everyone to get out, see the sites, learn about Israel's heritage and history while taking care of the natural surroundings."

The most impressive increase over the last Jewish year belongs to the cruise ships, with 208,000 visitors, a 68% increase compared to the previous year, with only 124,000 visitors. Income from inbound tourism alone in 5771 was 14.3 billion NIS, 11.1% more compared to the year 5770 (13 billion NIS).

(Communicated by the Ministry of Tourism)