The number of tourists entering Israel has witnessed a decline of 13 per cent in the first seven months of this year, in comparison with the same period in 2014, a report by the Central Bureau of Statistics revealed last week.

Middle East Monitor news outlet said that some 1.6 million tourists visited the country up to the end of July, compared to 1.84 million tourists during the corresponding period last year.

The figures appear to show that tourism is still influenced by the political events that were experienced by the country last summer when Israel launched a deadly assault on the Gaza Strip killed 2,260 Palestinians, mainly children, MEMO said.

(PNN)