Israel's Ministry of Tourism reported tourist arrivals in August from China (excluding Hong Kong) increased 30 percent year-on-year. This is a marked improvement over the first half of 2018, which saw an 11-percent decline in tourist arrivals from the previous year. While the Ministry of Tourism doesn't provide data on Chinese visitors' specific destinations in Israel, it does offer a Chinese-language website and an official Weibo account with over 607,000 followers to keep tourists informed of culture, activities and news in the country.
There was a decline in Chinese tourists to Israel at the beginning of this year partly because of safety concerns. The Chinese government issued a travel warning last December following President Donald Trump's announcement that the U.S. would relocate their Israeli embassy to Jerusalem. Palestinians and some Israelis protested the move, which led to violent clashes around the time of the move.
Safety concerns have impacted Chinese travel to Israel this year, which was down 11 percent year-on-year in the first half
In the first eight months of the year, Israel welcomed a total of 65,500 tourists from China, which was still more than in all of 2015 but down 8 percent from the same period in 2017. February and April were the only other months this year that saw an increase in tourist arrivals from China.
In 2017, Chinese tourists accounted for just 3.1 percent of tourist arrivals in Israel with 113,400 visitors-up from 47,000 in 2015-according to data released this past August by Israel's Central Bureau of Statistics. China was the largest source of Asian tourist arrivals in the year, followed by India. China was behind the U.S., Russia, France, Germany, the U.K. and Ukraine, respectively. Overall, tourism to Israel increased 25 percent year-on-year in 2017 to 3.6 million and has increased another 18 percent year-on-year in the first eight months of 2018 to over 2.2 million.
tel aviv museum of art
Tel Aviv Museum of Art hopes to attract Chinese tourists with "Masterpieces from the Philadelphia Museum of Art." Photo: Shutterstock
This June, to better accommodate Chinese tourists, Israel's Ministry of Tourism invited four Chinese chefs to teach local hotel kitchen staff how to prepare Chinese food, according to The Times of Israel. The country also needs more Mandarin-speaking guides as it currently only has 60, Hadassah Magazine reported. The magazine noted that the Hilton Tel Aviv has hired a Mandarin-speaking greeter.
Four Chinese chefs were invited to Israel to teach local hotel kitchen staff to prepare authentic Chinese food for guests
One reason for August's surge in tourism from China is that Israel celebrates its 70th anniversary this year, a milestone that's been attracting travelers worldwide. Aside from this, there's also a small proportion of Chinese visitors to Israel that are from Kaifeng and trace their heritage back to Jewish traders along the Silk Road.
Many expect tourism from China to increase further as Sichuan Airlines opened direct flights between Chengdu and Tel Aviv last Wednesday. It joins El Al and Hainan Airlines in providing direct routes from China.
Going forward, Chinese tourists to the Tel Aviv Museum of Art will be treated to "Masterpieces from the Philadelphia Museum of Art," which opens on October 11 and runs until February 2. |
