Following a marketing push to promote Jerusalem and Tel Aviv, arrivals to Israel increased from 2.7 million in 2013 to 4.5 million this year.
It comes as Virgin Atlantic launched a direct daily service between Heathrow and Tel Aviv in September this year.
“Historically, Israel was a destination of the Holy Land and that’s why there were a couple of million people who came here, but we were missing the tourists who were looking for their next vacation,“ Amir Halevi, the Israel Ministry of Tourism’s director general, told TTG at WTM London.
“But you cannot compare the beaches of Tel Aviv to any other destination in the world,” he added.
Halevi said the American market represented the largest chunk of visitors, with some one million people heading to Israel annually.
A variety of other markets including China, India, Germany and France make up the next 20% to 50%.
He said the figures show the political situation is not putting holidaymakers off.
“People feel safe in Israel. They know that a terror attack can happen anywhere – in London, Barcelona, or Brussels.
“From time to time, we have had incidents because of the situation in the Middle East, but for many years Israel has been safe – the crime rate is nearly 0%.
“More than that, when every tourist is looking for a vacation, they know that things can happen – but if you have a lot of experience and know how to handle it, then tourists feel even safer.”
The ministry has also just started marketing the south as an alternative winter sun destination.
Halevi described the Negev Desert as a “friendly desert”, where tourists can do outdoor activities such as hiking and cycling.
Luxury accommodation chain Six Senses has also announced it will open a new hotel, Six Senses Shaharut, in the area in 2020.
At WTM London this year, the tourist board is celebrating the long-standing dedication of Ron Israel, who is the organisation’s operations manager and has been attending the trade show for 20 years. In recognition of his work for Israel, he was presented with an award by Amir Halevi, the director general.
