The Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem. Photo: Berthold Werner.

More than half of the tourists visiting Israel are Christian, according to a recent poll by the country’s tourism ministry.

According to the poll, Christians comprised 58 percent of tourists in Israel during 2011, while 25 percent were Jewish and only 1 percent were Muslims.

Among returning tourists to Israel, however, 82 percent were Jewish and 80 percent came to visit family or friends. Sixty-one percent of total tourists were first-time visitors.

“This data supports the basic assumption of the new ‘Everyone brings someone’ campaign, in which friends and family are the main significant factor in the decision on whether to visit Israel,” Israeli Tourism Minister Stas Misezhnikov said, according to Israel Hayom. “Everyone can participate in the effort to bring more tourists to Israel, thereby contributing to the economy, job creation and Israel’s image in the world.”