Israel has recorded a tourist crisis

In the first half of 2015, the number of foreign tourists visiting Israel declined by a quarter compared with the same period last year. In June alone, 2015 of the year arrived at 20% fewer tourists than in June of 2014. Such data is published today, 22 July, the economic department of the Association of Employees of the hotel industry.

Foreign tourists spent in Israeli hotels significantly fewer nights than last year. The shortage reaches approximately 2,7 million nights in six months, which, in turn, means a reduction in the income of the hotel business by 1,2 billion shekels.

The drop was most noticeable in Eilat, where 303 fewer rooms were sold (measured in the tourism industry by “nights sold”) than in the first half of last year, a drop of 46%. At the Dead Sea, the drop was 216 thousand nights, which is 34% less than in the first half of last year.

In Tiberias and other cities on the Kinneret, 433 hotels have not sold thousands of nights, which is 29% less than in the first half of 2014.

In Nazareth (Nazareth), this indicator is less by 97 thousand nights (-28%), in Jerusalem - by 1,3 million nights (-27%), Netanya - by 15 thousand (-24%), Tel Aviv - by 1,1 million ( -14%), in Haifa on 107 thousands less (-17%).

Because of the crisis in the tourism industry, the Knesset Finance Committee approved the allocation of one hundred and eight million shekels to improve the situation.

Loss of income from reducing the number of tourists in the period from July 2014 to June 2015 amounted to 3,8 billion shekels.

Experts say that there has not been a similar tourism crisis in Israel in the last ten years.

But the number of nights ordered by Israelis in Israel’s hotels in the first half of 2015 increased by 8% compared to the first half of 2014 and amounted to 5,9 million.