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the Tourism Ministry also held a Dead Sea week at the
Expo in China in July last year. Israel’s Consul General
in Shanghai Jackie Eldan and Founder and President of
New7Wonders Foundation, Mr. Bernard Weber, opened
the photo exhibition.
During the promotion week, visitors feasted their eyes
on a photo exhibition themed “Unrevealed Beauty”.
Photographed by Duby Tal, the exquisite collection
of photos revealed to visitors the stunning geological
diversity of the Dead Sea and its rich cultural and
historical legacy.
Another major event was the Ministry’s partnership with
Israel’s Opera Company last year in the spectacular
staging of Verdi’s Nabucco on the shores of the Dead
Sea with the historic mountain of Masada as a backdrop.
“Nabucco is probably the most Jewish of all Verdi’s
operas and this area is so symbolic for Jewish history.
So we thought that a combination of both would bring
an added value to what we are doing,” expressed Israel
Opera’s general director Hanna Munitz to Reuters after
this major cultural event that attracted over 4000 tourists
from abroad.
The Inbal Jerusalem Hotel
Spring-Summer 2011
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Keep the Dead Sea alive
Since the Dead Sea made it through to the finals, it
has occupied a position within the top 14 of the 28
finalists, which include the Amazon, the Galapagos, the
Grand Canyon and the Maldives. Some billion voters
are expected to express their preference by the time the
competition closes in November 2011, after which the
seven winners will be announced – each of which will
need 300-400 million votes.
“The Dead Sea, offers visitors a unique experience,
rich in history and archeology,” says Israel’s Minister of
Tourism Stas Misezhnikov. “We invite enthusiasts and
veteran supporters of the Dead Sea as well as those
discovering it for the first time, to visit and vote for it in
the competition.”
According to the Ministry of Tourism, the Dead Sea
is considered one of Israel’s most popular attractions;
some 45% of all tourists to Israel visit it. It is only an
hour’s drive from Jerusalem. The tourist industry along
its shores includes 15 hotels as well as 19 guesthouses
in nearby kibbutzim and moshavim, plus various other
businesses which provide employment to some 4,500
people.
The Israeli campaign lists “7 reasons to vote for the Dead
Sea as one of the New7Wonders of Nature. They are:
-the lowest place on earth,
-the saltiest lake in the world,
-the largest natural spa in the world,
-the clear bromide-rich air that leaves one feeling relaxed
and calm,
-the unique black mineral-rich mud for natural and
healthy skincare,
-the healthy, year-round, UVB-filtered sunlight and
-a desert experience, rich in history, archaeology and
natural beauty.
Every candidate is worthy of a vote. Voters, whether
they be in Beijing, London, New York or Jerusalem are
choosing not only those earthly gems dear to themselves
but to show support for a campaign that draws attention
to the environmental wonders of the world so that we
can best preserve them for future generations.
Vote today – your planet needs you!
Proudly parading - the Ibex of the Dead Sea
The Israel Ministry of Tourism, www.goisrael.com