The Israeli Tourism Ministry has said that Christian tourism to the country has increased 17 per cent since the late Pope John Paul II visited the country in 2000.

Last year nearly two thirds of all three million tourists to Israel were Christian. In 2000, 1.5 million Christians visited Israel.

Christian tourism to Israel has increased significantly in recent years from places like Africa and Eastern Europe, but has declined from Western Europe and Asia.

Last year there were 40 per cent more American Christians visiting the Holy Land than in 2000. However South American countries Argentina and Mexico saw drops of 64 and 37 per cent respectively.

Over a million of last year’s tourists to Israel were Catholic, 300,000 were Protestant, 75,000 said they were Evangelicals, whilst 360,000 claimed to be other Christian.

The number of Christian tourists who defined themselves as pilgrims increased significantly by 43 per cent in the last eight years. Last year over a million Christians said they were visiting Israel on a pilgrimage.

Pope Benedict XVI is expected to visit Israel from 11-15 May and will visit holy sites such as Jerusalem, Bethlehem and Nazareth. The Tourism Ministry released its figures today during an inspection ahead of the Pope’s visit.

It is hoped that a second Papal visit will further boost the rise in Christians making pilgrimages and so strengthen the economy. Tourism in Israel was hit hard for a while after the Intifada was launched against the country in 2000.

The Greek Orthodox Mayor of Nazareth, Ramiz Jaraisy, told the Jerusalem Post, "Our great hope is that we will see a great increase in tourism in Nazareth in the wake of the pope's visit that will improve the socioeconomic situation in the city."

During his visit the Pope is due to give mass to 40,000 people on Mount Precipice, where it is said a mob tried to throw Jesus off the cliff.