Eilat

Of the 1.8 million,  one million were local tourists while 800,000 were foreign, an increase of 38 percent from the previous year.

While the number of stays have increased, the number of empty rooms is also decreasing. In April 2005, hotel occupancy stood at 61 percent, while a year later the figure was 66 percent.

According to Israel's Minister of Tourism Isaac Herzog, the number of tourist overnight stays in the country is set to reach nine million by the end of 2006 and that further investment in Israel's tourism infrastructure will be developed to cope with demand.