(Sunset in Jerusalem, Israel. /Photo via Support Israel‍)

China continued to be Israel's fastest growing source of tourists in the first seven months of 2017, Israel's top tourism official stated. The statistic is attributed to the increase of direct flights to Tel Aviv from Beijing, Shanghai and Hong Kong.

Over 64,000 Chinese tourists visited Israel from January to July this year, up 66 percent year-on-year, outpacing the global average of 17 percent year-on-year, Yariv Levin, Israeli Minister of Tourism said during his first official visit to China.

Israel's tourism ministry has stepped up cooperation with Chinese online tourism platforms, including a strategic cooperation agreement with Ctrip, China's largest online travel agency, earlier this month with aims to promote the country's unique tourism opportunities.

Travelling overseas has become a popular choice among increasingly affluent Chinese. Data from the China National Tourism Administration shows that about 62 million overseas trips were made in the first half of this year, up 5 percent year-on-year.

To meet the demands of this growing market, the Israeli tourism ministry has begun training tourist guides to speak Chinese and is building a version of its official website in Chinese too, according to Levin.