Israel Sees Signs of Tourism Recovery

Israel reported a 5 percent increase in August visitor arrivals, according to Arie Sommer, Israel’s tourism commissioner for North and South America.

The good news didn’t stop there: While the Israel Ministry of Tourism anticipated a drop of up to 20 percent in U.S arrivals this year due to economic uncertainty, the decline for all of 2009 is more likely to hover at around 10 percent, said Sommer.

In 2008, Israel reported its best year ever, with 3 million arrivals. Sommer said he hopes to see a repeat performance in 2010. “I anticipate a return to normal, regular traffic, provided that the economic situation in the U.S. will continue to improve,” he said.