Tourism in Israel

Tourism in Israel includes a rich variety of historical and religious sites in the Holy Land, as well as modern beach resorts, archaeological tourism, heritage tourism and ecotourism. Israel has the highest number of museums per capital in the world. In 2007, the country had over 2.3 million international tourist arrivals. [citeweb | url=http://www.haaretz.co.il/hasen/spages/946886.html| title=The tourists are coming | publisher=Haaretz | accessdate=2008-01-23] The largest groups of tourists visit from the United States, Russia, France, and the United Kingdom. [http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3557251,00.html]

Historical, religious and cultural sites

;Jerusalem
* The largest city of the modern State of Israel. The holiest city in Judaism, the ancient capital of the United Monarchy and then of the Kingdom of Judah. The site of the Temples in Jerusalem. See Western Wall
* The four quarters of the Old City
* The site of some of Jesus's teaching and entombment; Christians believe he was crucified on a nearby hill, Golgotha.
* (Islam). Dome of the Rock, Al-Aqsa Mosque
* City of David, including Hezekiah's Tunnel
* List of places in Jerusalem

;Golan Heights
* Hermon mountain. Skiing during the winter.
* Archaeology in Katzrin, Gamla, Nimrod Fortress, Gilgal Refaim

;Safed
* A holy city in Judaism, where much of the Jerusalem Talmud was written and kabbalah (Jewish mysticism) was developed. Famous for its artisans.

;Acre
* (Bahá'í) Shrine of Bahá'u'lláh, resting place of Bahá'u'lláh.

;Haifa
* Carmel
* (Bahá'í) Shrine of the Báb, its associated terraces, and the Bahá'í World Centre and the buildings.

;Tiberias
* A holy city in Judaism, on west bank of the freshwater Sea of Gallilee.
* Saint Peter’s house and the Mount of Beatitudes.

;Nazareth
* Jesus's hometown and site of many of his acts and miracles

;Bet She'an
* One of the largest archaeological sites in the Middle East.

;Tel Aviv
* Largest metropolitan area with more than three million inhabitants. The coastal city is Israel's cosmopolitan and financial capital.

;Bethlehem
* Burial place of the matriarch Rachel and birthplace of King David.
* Birthplace of Jesus

;Hebron
* The second-holiest city in Judaism and the place where the Tomb of the Patriarchs and Matriarchs is located. According to Jewish tradition, this is the burial place of the great patriarchs (Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob) and matriarchs (Sarah, Rebecca, and Leah). The capital of the Kingdom of Israel before David moved it to Jerusalem.

;Masada
* Masada became famous for its significance in the First Jewish-Roman War (Great Jewish Revolt), when a siege of the fortress by troops of the Roman Empire led to a mass suicide of the site's Jewish defenders when defeat became imminent.

;Beersheba
* Its settlement attributed to the patriarch Abraham. Regional capital of the Negev desert.

;Eilat
* Southernmost city. Year-round vacation destination.

;Kibbutzim
* A network of once Socialist communes which dot the countryside. They are currently undergoing a process of modernization and re-organization. Well known in Israel for great contributions to Israeli history, politics, army, and Zionism.

;Caesarea
* The old city includes Roman and Crusader ruins, such as the amphitheatre (where concerts are frequently held), as well as the harbor from which St. Paul was taken as a prisoner to Rome.
* The grassy golf club and villas are newly developed in this coastal city, which has become increasing popular to tourists.

;Ein Gedi
* Desert spring.

Seas and lakes

;Mediterranean coastal strip
* Sunny beaches and hotel resorts;The Dead Sea
* The lowest point on the Earth's surface and the deepest hypersaline lake in the world, famous for its buoyancy and medicinal qualities;Red Sea
* Sunny beaches and hotel resorts;Sea of Galilee
* Sunny beaches and hotel resorts
* Important Christian holy sites such as Mount of Beatitudes

References

External links

* [http://www.tourism.gov.il/Tourism_Euk Ministry of Tourism] en icon
*Wikitravel|Israel