The number of tourists who visited Israel in the first quarter of 2024 amounted to 204,700, according to data published by the state's Bureau of Statistics on Thursday.
The quarterly figure reflects a gradual monthly increase in tourist numbers, from 58,600 in January, 67,500 in February, to 78,600 in March, despite the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas.
The first-quarter figures represent a 13.22 percent increase from the last quarter of 2023, a period marred by the outbreak of the Gaza conflict in early October. However, the numbers still fall short of the 916,300 tourists recorded in the same period last year.
This gradual monthly increase in the number of tourists arriving in Israel was recorded alongside the gradual return of foreign airlines to fly to the country.
The latest airlines to resume operations in Israel were British Airways, Dutch KLM, and Spain's Iberia Express, with flights landing at Ben Gurion Airport near Tel Aviv on Monday.
xinhua
