WOW; seen phenomenal 40% more tourists in Israel Jan/May than in Jan/May '07? History/nostalgia big C21 urge??

Question

I was expecting faith in the Bible to be the chief factor

But many from Russia toured Israel Jan/May

& report emphasises the investment angle, as many visitors are entrepreneurs, yes?

What special investmentfunds do EU & World Bank offer to folk with good business idea for Jerusalem?

See http://www.ynetnews.com

Answer 1

I think it's probably a mix. Israel attracts Bible tourism but it also attracts first world investors, particularly in its tech industry which has brought everyone from Bill Gates to Guy Kawasaki to Sergey Brin over and with a large number of Russian Jews, I expect that there is some back and forth travel to see relatives as well. It's also likely that American Jews and non-Jews are more likely to see Israel as endangered and are showing their quiet support.