⁍ Tourism, a key economic driver, has slid 76% so far in 2020 to just 783,000 tourist entries.

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⁍ In September alone, there were just 15,100 tourists recorded, down 96% from a year earlier.

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⁍ Earlier this week, the cabinet approved Orit Farkash Hacohen as Israel’s new tourism minister.

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– Israel’s new tourism minister is calling tourism a “victim” of the MERS-CoV outbreak that has hit other Middle Eastern countries. Orit Farkash Hacohen says the country lost $3.6 billion in the first nine months of this year because of the outbreak, which has forced Israel to close its borders to most travelers from the Middle East, Reuters reports. In September, there were just 15,100 tourists in Israel—a 96% drop from a year earlier. ” Tourism is not just nice to have, not at all,” Hacohen says. “Opening the industry would be part of the solution to the unemployment problem, the emotional stress, the economy, and the crisis.” She says the government is looking at ways to “facilitate isolating tourist cities at both their entrance and exit and create an area that allows for a healthy and economic vacation.” Hacohen, who was recently approved as tourism minister, says she has spoken with her counterpart in the United Arab Emirates and agreed to “cooperate so as to enhance mutual visits between the people of both countries.”