As the days wind down towards D-Day for the New Seven Wonders competition, and the Dead Sea gears itself up (hopefully) for international glory, the Israeli Ministry of Tourism has decided to launch its own Seven Wonders of Israel competition.
The competition will be between the various sites in Israel (here’s our Top 10 sites in Israel, could you pick 7 from them?), with the winners ending up being promoted as the official Seven Wonders of Israel.
The project is actually a collaboration between the Ministry of Tourism and Israel’s Channel 2 News. The public get to vote for their favorite sites on the Channel 2 Facebook page (all in Hebrew I’m afraid), which could mean anything to anybody (maybe even a few sneaky votes for Itzik’s Felafel Shack?).
Once suggestions are in, a committee made up of members from the Ministry of Tourism, Channel 2 News, tour guides and academics, will select the 15 best sites. The public will then be asked to choose their favorite seven out of the remaining 15. Voting lasts til September 22nd, when the winners will be announced on the 6 o’clock news.
Minister of Tourism, Stas Misezhnikv, had this to say:
This will be the first time that the Israeli public will be able to decide the Seven Wonders of Israel. The competition strengthens the links to Israel’s heritage, increases awareness of the wide range of historical, archaeological, natural, and religious sites in Israel, creating new marketing opportunities to expose these wonders to the rest of the world. I welcome Israelis and foreigners to take part in the competition, making suggestions and voting for their favorites. The Ministry of Tourism will work toward taking advantage of the competition on the internet and on social networks in order to promote Israel as an attractive tourist destination.