JERUSALEM, Dec. 8 (Xinhua) -- Israel's Tourism Ministry said Thursday that the country saw a record-breaking rise of inbound tourists in November, despite an ongoing wave of violence in Israel and the West Bank.
About 287,900 tourists entered Israel last month, an increase of around 38 percent year on year, a statement by the Tourism Ministry said.
The revenues to the local economy in November alone reached over 1.5 billion shekels (394 million U.S. dollars), a sum that almost equals to the annual Israel tourism marketing budget.
The ministry's figures showed that a total of 2,651,400 tourists have entered Israel from January to November, a rise of about two percent compared with the same period last year.
Tourism Minister Yariv Levin attributed the increase mainly to intensive marketing efforts in new markets, particularly China and India.
Levin praised the tourist industry's incredible potential, highlighting its significant contribution to the Israeli economy.
He said that efforts will continue to be made to meet the challenge of creating a continuing increase in incoming tourism.
The numbers came as a surprise to the tourism industry, which feared that the Palestinian unrest, including frequent knife attacks, would deter inbound visits.
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