The number of Israeli tourists visiting Turkey has plunged by a record 60.5 per cent in the first five months of the year, following Ankara's fierce criticism of Israel's war on the Gaza Strip, according to official data.

Turkey attracted only 64,200 tourists from the Jewish state from January to last month, compared to 162,600 in the same period last year, the tourism ministry said.

A total of 558,200 Israelis had travelled to Turkey during last year, making it their favourite destination for holidays.

The drastic decline was blamed largely on Ankara's almost daily outbursts against Israel during the Jewish state's deadly offensive on Gaza in late December and January. The tensions climaxed in a public row between Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Israeli President Shimon Peres, at a high-profile international gathering in Davos, Switzerland.

"The incident at Davos played a determining role in the Israelis' shunning of Turkey," said Timur Bayindir, head of Turkey's Touristic Hotels and Investors Association.

On January 29, Mr Erdogan stormed out from a heated debate on the Gaza war at the World Economic Forum in Davos, after accusing Israel of "barbarian" acts and telling Mr Peres that "you know well how to kill people".

His reaction was unprecedented for Turkey, a predominantly Muslim but non-Arab country, which has been Israel's chief regional ally since the two signed a military cooperation deal in 1996.

Daniel Zimet, head of Zimet Marketing Communications, which handles the promotion of Turkey in Israel, said that the country's powerful trade unions had introduced a virtual boycott in holidays they organised for workers.

"The unions normally decide in January on the destinations, and this year it coincided with Davos," he said. "Turkey was simply erased from the catalogues."