1.6 million tourists visited Israel in first half of 2010

This is a record number and a 39% increase over the parallel figure for 2009, and 10% more than the figure for 2008
 
Israel had a record number of incoming tourists in the first six months of 2010 - 1.6 million, a 39% increase over the parallel figure for 2009, and 10% more than the figure for 2008.
 
The Central Bureau of Statistics (CBI) also reported that another record had been set in June - 259,000 tourists entered the country, 24% more than in 2009 and 8% more than in 2008.  In addition, in the first half of the year, 293,000 people entered the country for less than a day, including 66,000 who came by cruise vessels.
 
The country that sent the most visitors to Israel was the United States, followed by Russia, France, Britain, Germany and Italy.
 
The Tourism Ministry said in a written statement that:" The tourists brought the country an estimated US$1.55 billion in the first half, not counting airfare”.