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The Israeli Tourist Office has announced that the country saw an increase in its number of international visitors in the first two months of the year.

A total of 380,760 people visited Israel in January and February, which is an increase of more than 50% on the corresponding period of 2007.

Some 23,396 visitors came from Britain alone, around 18% more than in the first two months of last year.

The tourist office said that travellers are beginning to recognise Israel's 'heady mix of rich culture coupled with exciting city nightlife and beach sun'.

Access to the country has also been boosted by the launch of new flights by bmi and other airlines.

Uzi Gafni, director of the Israel Tourist Board, said: 'We are absolutely delighted with these new figures and in particular, we are excited to see that Britons continue to be fascinated by Israel and that more and more of them are now able to experience it for themselves.

'Traditionally, travel to Israel has not always been as convenient as it could have been, however new travel options mean that the country has now opened up to the everyday tourist and with flight times of just five hours, there couldn't be a better time to visit.'

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