Visitor Numbers to Israel Fell by 20% in First Half of 2015

Tourists are choosing destinations without war and oppression.

"Maybe its the fact that I walked on that beach-- and have a small child, that makes this photo so devastating." - Anthony Bourdain, Twitter July 16, 2015 (Child killed on the beach, by Israeli Army)

(SALEM, Ore.) - Official statistics from the Israeli Ministry of Tourism have shown that there has been a 20 percent decrease in the number of the tourists in the first half of 2015, compared to the same period last year.

Israeli website Walla has reported that senior officials from the ministry held an emergency meeting last week, headed by Tourism Minister Yariv Levin. They discussed ways to woo in tourists.

Levin said Israel’s insecurity had undoubtedly played an important role in keeping tourists away; urging all-out efforts aimed at making all, including non-Israeli Jews and Anglican Christians, feel safe to visit Israel.

The crisis in Israel’s tourism industry comes in the aftermath of Tel Aviv’s bloody war against the Gaza Strip last summer.