As reported in Ha’aretz, Israel’s Central Bureau of Statistics reported that 2.18 million foreign visitors came to Israel in the first six months of the year, a 19% increase over the same period in 2017.

The Israel Hotel Association reports that foreign tourists spent a record 5.94 million nights at Israeli hotels during the first half of 2018, up about 13% over the first half of last year and 43% higher than in 2016.

The data also show that about half of all stays at Israeli hotels between January and June of this year were made by foreign visitors and half by Israelis.

Fully 34% of all foreign tourist hotel nights for first six months of this year were spent in Jerusalem, with another 24% in Tel Aviv.