More Israelis Visiting U.S., Numbers Show

YERUSHALAYIM
An El Al plane taking off at Ben Gurion Airport. (Moshe Shai/Flash90)
An El Al plane taking off at Ben Gurion International Airport. (Moshe Shai/Flash90)

More than 400,000 Israelis visited the United States in 2015, a rise of 13 percent over the year before, according to figures from the Transport Ministry. A total of 402,633 Israelis entered the U.S. during that year, compared to 355,286 in 2014. The figures were presented during a presentation at a major tourism event in New Orleans.

The number of Israelis visiting the US has been on an upswing since 2011. The 2015 numbers indicate a 33 percent increase over the 2011 figures, when barely 300,000 Israelis visited the U.S.

Despite the country’s size, Israelis accounted for the 20th largest group of international tourists visiting the U.S. A total of 77,510, 282 foreign visitors came to the U.S. in 2015, over half – 38 million plus – coming from Canada and Mexico, many of whom enter the U.S. for a day to go shopping or the like and return home. The largest source of foreign tourists from outside North America is Britain, followed by Japan, China, Germany, Brazil, South Korea, France, Australia, India and Italy.

New York’s JFK is the most popular airport for visitors to the U.S. from outside North America. The airport handled over 17 percent of total entrances to the U.S. in 2015, according to official U.S. numbers.

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