Israel was visited by a record number of tourists last year. However, the tourism ministry said on Monday that growth would decelerate in 2020 as a result of cuts in spending on advertising the country.
The ministry’s statement came amid increasing geopolitical
tensions in the Middle East after the US killed top Iranian general Qasem
Soleimani at the request of President Donald Trump. Nevertheless, a tourism
ministry official said that Israel was less concerned about the impact of
geopolitics on tourism.
Israel recorded 4.55 million visits in 2019, up 10.6%
compared to 2018. Tourists brought in the equivalent of $6.3 billion in
revenue.
The record number of visits was possible despite two severe escalations between Israel and Palestinians in Gaza. About 1,300 rockets were launched into the country last year, which is the most since the last war between Israel and Hamas in 2014.
Tourism Ministry Director-General Amir Halevi stated:
“We are within reach
of achieving 5 million tourists, but we are concerned that the momentum we have
achieved in focused marketing that has proven itself will not continue with the
same intensity because of significant budget cuts.”
Tourism Minister Yariv Levin said that tourism growth had been driven by increased budget for advertising Israel as a destination.