Philippines -Israel tourism up in 2017
MANILA, Philippines - The number of Filipino tourists who visited Israel increased by 62 percent in the first half of the year.
In a statement, the embassy of Israel said data from the Israel Ministry of Tourism showed the number of Filipino tourists that visited Israel grew to 9,000 compared to the 5,600 tourists registered in the previous year.
In the month of June alone, the number of Filipinos who traveled to Israel doubled to 1,200 from only 600 in June 2016.
“And during the first semester of 2017, the biggest monthly record of Filipino travelers was recorded in April with 2,100,” the embassy said.
Israel Ambassador to the Philippines Effie Ben Matityau attributed the increase to the growing interest among Filipinos looking for a meaningful spiritual trip.
He also identified Filipinos’ growing interest in modern Israel as the land of creation and creativity.
“We see growing opportunities in tourism. Israel is the promised land and the land of many promises which create the foundation for a very solid and steady growth in tourism between our two countries,” he said.
Israel tourism director for India and the Philippines Hassan Madah said the country expects a record number of 17,000 Filipino tourists to visit Israel this year.
“The Israel Ministry of Tourism sees a huge potential in the Philippine market as we continue to make progress on the issues of awareness and connectivity,” Madah said.
Filipinos can enjoy visa-free travel to Israel for up to 90 days while Israelis can enjoy visa-free travel to the Philippines for up to 59 days.
Moreover, data from the Philippines’ Department of Tourism (DOT) showed that the country is also benefiting from travelers from Israel as a total of 16,725 Israelis traveled to the Philippines last year, 42 percent higher than the 2015 record of 11,756.
DOT Undersecretary for Tourism Development Benito Bengzon Jr. earlier said the Philippines expects more visitor arrivals from Israel this year.
“We remain optimistic of hitting 20,000 to 22,000 arrivals for 2017, considering that among Israel travelers, the Philippines is gaining preference as an emerging tourism destination,” Bengzon said.
