The Israeli flag. Photo: Wikimedia Commons.

The number of tourists visiting Israel reached an unprecedented peak in April, continuing an upward trend that sees more and more people visiting the Jewish state each year.

A record-breaking 385,000 visitor entries were recorded in the month, 9 percent more than in the same month last year, according to Israel’s Central Bureau of Statistics. 342,000 of these visitors were tourists (defined as staying more than one night), which is 14 percent more than in April 2013.

In order to neutralize the impact of the Passover and Easter holidays, the statistics for March and April combined were also examined by the Bureau: 687,000 visitors came in that two-month period, 5 percent more than the same period last year. Of those visitors, 625,000 were tourists, 14 percent more than the same period last year.

The Bureau also revealed that between January and April 2014, 1.16 million visitors arrived in Israel (including day visitors), 5 percent more than the same period in 2013 and 2012. Of these, 1.05 million were tourists, 16 percent more than 2013.

“We hope that the record for incoming tourism into Israel will be broken again this year, as in the previous two years,” Tourism Minister Dr. Uzi Landau said. “We anticipate that the visit of Pope Francis at the end of May will cause a significant spike in incoming tourism and we welcome the faithful with open arms. Those that come to Israel will discover a country not only blessed with so many holy sites, but also spectacular landscapes, rich in history, culture and night life.”