Tourism to Israel hit a record high in April, reaching figures 12 percent higher than last year´s record figures.

The Tourism Ministry reports that some 345,000 visitors arrived in the country last month. The number was an increase of 19 percent over the same period for 2011 and 12 percent higher than the record April 2010 figures.

Another record was registered among incoming tourists – those who spent more than one night in Israel – with about 296,000 arriving in April 2012. The figure is 13 percent more than the same period last year and 11 percent higher than that of April 2010.

"The consistent increase in incoming tourism comes from the Tourism Ministry´s activities in marketing, tourism infrastructure and upgrading the tourism product,” explained Tourism Minister Stas Misezhnikov.

Among the most popular tourist destinations this year have been the holy city of Jerusalem, the Judean Dead Sea fortress of Masada, and the Cave of the Patriarchs in Hevron.

Based on the data released last week from the Central Bureau of Statistics, more than a million visitors arrived in the first third of 2012 – 6 percent more than in the same period in 2011, and 4 percent more than in 2010.

A similar increase was recorded among tourists during January-April 2012, with about 933,000 tourists visiting Israel, 4 percent more than the record set for the same period last year. (IsraelNationalNews © 2012 05/13/12)