Israel sees sharp decline in tourist numbers in 2015

The number of tourists visiting Israel declined by 13 per cent in the first seven months of this year when compared to the same period in 2014, a report by the Central Bureau of Statistics revealed yesterday.

Some 1.6 million tourists visited the country up to the end of July, compared to 1.84 million tourists during the corresponding period last year.

The figures appear to show that tourism is still influenced by the political events that were experienced by the country last summer when Israel launched a deadly assault on the Gaza Strip killed 2,260 Palestinians, mainly children.