43% more tourists visited Israel in the first four months of 2008 than in the same period of 2007. "This is an extraordinarily encouraging result," says Arie Sommer, Israel Tourism Commissioner North and South America, "particularly coming on top of 2007, the best year for U.S. tourism to Israel in our 60-year history."
 
"This adds urgency to the need for additional hotels and flights," observed Shaul Tzemach, Director-General of Israel's Ministry of Tourism, "especially if we are going to meet our goal of hosting 5 million tourists a year by 2012." 
 
In addition to the dozens of Israeli-owned hotels, and the many U.S.- and European-based hotel groups with properties in Israel, the Hilton Corporation recently announced it is reopening Jerusalem's 80-year old Palace Hotel in 2010, as a member of the group's prestigious Waldorf=Astoria Hotel Collection. "Also," added Sommer, "Actor Robert de Niro will be opening the first non-U.S. Nobu Hotel in the Mediterranean resort of Herzliya in 2009."
 
Currently, some 70 airlines operate regular scheduled flights to Tel Aviv's Ben Gurion International Airport, with five airlines operating as many as 20 nonstop flights a day between North America and Israel and vice-versa.