Hotel occupancy on the rise

The first half of 2011 has seen an increase in the number of tourists who stay overnight in Israel's hotel, figures released by the Central Bureau of Statistics revealed. The number of overnight hotel stays totaled 10.1 million and consisted of both Israeli and foreign tourists, a 1 percent rise compared to a similar period last year. Room occupancy reached 64 percent with the city Haifa enjoying the highest occupancy rate of 63.5 percent compared to 58 percent for a similar period last year. While welcoming the increase Ami Federman head of the Israel Hotel Association said the recent events in the Middle East have led to a reduction in the number of pilgrims visiting Israel and this has affected the occupancy rate in Jerusalem, Tiberias, Nazareth and the Sea of Galilee for the third month in a row.