Despite Gaza war, visitor numbers to Israel fell only 1% in 2014

"The number of foreign visitors who spent at least one night in Israel declined by just 1% last year despite the downturn following the summer war against Hamas and its allies in the Gaza Strip.

The year began with tourist traffic well higher than in 2013, and despite the meltdown when the 50-day war commenced on July 8, the number of foreign visitors was off only 7% compared to 2013 when day visitors are included, the Tourism Ministry said.

A 30% drop that followed the outbreak of the fighting later shrank to about 20%.

Either way, it was a banner year for Ben-Gurion International Airport, with a record 14.2 million passengers passing through on arriving or departing flights, the Israel Airports Authority said. The figure was 6% higher than for 2013. Many of the passengers were Israelis, not just foreign visitors."

A record 14.2 million passengers passed through Ben-Gurion International Airport, buoyed by a strong first half of the year.

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