Israelis are treating themselves to expensive vacations abroad, despite the economic slowdown at home and record unemployment.
At least 750,000 Israel traveled abroad this past summer, 6 percent more than last year.
Most of them chose expensive destinations like the United States and Western Europe, confounding experts who said they wouldn’t have the shekels to spend.
According to the spokesman for a group of airlines, Israelis also traveled in large numbers to Eastern Europe, where tourism is much cheaper.
The cheapest tourist country, Turkey, drew only a few thousand Israeli visitors this summer.
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