By Nicole Jansezian
JERUSALEM, ISRAEL (ANS): Tourism to Israel has reached an all-time high with 1.6 million tourists visiting the Holy Land during the first half of 2010, a 39 per cent jump over the same period last year and 10 per cent higher than in 2008, the previous record year.
A record was also set for the month of June.
Last year, Christians comprised slightly more than half of the tourists to Israel, according to tourism ministry numbers. From the Holy Sepulchre to the Garden Tomb and north to the Galilee, Christians, whether Evangelical, Catholic or Orthodox, are flooding the holy sites again this year.
Elisa Moed, chief executive officer of Travelujah, the only Christian social network focused on travel to the Holy Land, credits the surge to Christian tourism.
“The increase in incoming tourism during the first half of this year should not be taken for granted,” said Mr Misezhnikov. “It is the result of massive investment in marketing activities around the world with significant budgets, especially against the background of the public diplomacy challenges that Israel is facing.”
