Tourism to Israel is at its highest since the outbreak of Palestinian violence in 2000.
Approximately 2.3 million people visited Israel in 2007, a 25 percent increase over the previous year and the highest figure since 2000, the government’s Central Bureau of Statistics announced Wednesday.
Almost a quarter of last year’s tourists were from the United States. The next-biggest contingent came from France. The number of tourists from Egypt and Jordan also showed a modest rise.
Prior to the outbreak of Palestinian violence in September 2000, the millennium was the peak year for tourism to Israel, with more than 2.5 million visitors.
Israeli officials said they hope to match that figure this year, when the Jewish state marks its 60th Independence Day.
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