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JERUSALEM (JTA) -- Israeli tour guide Yossi Weiss was leading two busloads of American Christian pilgrims on a tour of Jerusalem's Old City when he noted how difficult it was to move around.
The Jewish Quarter was so crowded and busy Monday as the group visited the Temple Mount, Robinson's Arch and other famous sites, observed Weiss, who recently was named chairman of the Israel Tour Guides Association.
It was one sign of the record year Israeli tourism is having.
Despite the hand-wringing over Israel’s image overseas, the political direction of the Jewish state and the persistence of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, visitors are continuing to flock to Israel -- more than ever.
In the first half of 2010, some 1.6 million tourists visited Israel, setting a new record, according to the Israeli Tourism Ministry. It constituted a 39 percent increase over the same period of 2009, which included the Gaza war, and a 10 percent increase from the first half of 2008, Israel's previous record year for tourism.