Israel reports 14% rise in luring foreign tourists

339,000 visitors entered Israel in October, an all-time record in tourism entries, amidst renewed diplomatic relations with Turkey and calmer security situation, according to figures released by Israel's Central Bureau of Statistics. Number of tourists last month was 14 percent higher than October 2012, and higher than any other October, figures show. According to the new figures, since the beginning of 2013 through October, more than 3 million visitors arrived in Israel, 1 percent less than the same period in 2012. Of these entries, 2.5 million were tourists, similar to the same period in 2012, 5 percent more than the same periods of 2011 and 2010. "After a period of tension in the region, tourism is back on the rise," Tourism Minister Director-General Amir Halevi said in written statement sent to Xinhua. "The quiet security situation and the marketing efforts are proving themselves," Halevi added. However, the overall number of tourists to Israel, which until the 2000-Al-Aqsa Intifada used to be a magnet for international tourism, is still wading through.