February Set Record for Holy Land Tourism
A record number of tourists entered Israel last month, a bit of good news amid concerns that the tensions in the south might stem the flow of visitors over the busy Passover season.
Some 232,000 foreign tourists visited last month — 6% more than in February 2011 and 4% more than in February 2010, the previous record for the month.
Particularly impressive this year was the 55% rise in the number of visitors who entered over land for a day. Last year, this segment suffered a sharp decline due to the unrest in Egypt.
The flow over the Egyptian border has bounced back, however, with 8,100 visitors crossing from Taba into Eilat in February, five times the number for the month last year.
I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s award-winning journalism this Passover.
In this age of misinformation, our work is needed like never before. We report on the news that matters most to American Jews, driven by truth, not ideology.
At a time when newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall. That means for the first time in our 126-year history, Forward journalism is free to everyone, everywhere. With an ongoing war, rising antisemitism, and a flood of disinformation that may affect the upcoming election, we believe that free and open access to Jewish journalism is imperative.
Readers like you make it all possible. Right now, we’re in the middle of our Passover Pledge Drive and we still need 300 people to step up and make a gift to sustain our trustworthy, independent journalism.
Make a gift of any size and become a Forward member today. You’ll support our mission to tell the American Jewish story fully and fairly.
— Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO
Join our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.
Only 300 more gifts needed by April 30
