A giant counter showing the time left to vote in the New7Wonders of Nature can now be seen on top of the Azrieli Tower in Tel Aviv. When Israel’s Tourism Minister, Stas Meseznikov, pressed a button last night, the top of the building lit up with a golden “616:45:38”, indicating that there were exactly 616 hours, 45 minutes and 38 seconds until the campaign closed.
Voting for the New7Wonders of Nature ends on 11 November at 11:11 GMT.
The Dead Sea – the lowest place on earth – is competing in the New7Wonders of Nature on behalf of Israel, Jordan and the Palestinian Authority. The Israeli Tourism Ministry is reported to have invested millions of shekels in its worldwide effort to promote the candidacy of the Dead Sea. The ministry believes that the money has been well spent.
“Winning this title will significantly increase the numbers of tourists visiting Israel in general and the Dead Sea region in particular, boosting the local economy, providing thousands more jobs and improving Israel’s image overseas,” minister Meseznikov said. “We urge you to spread the word: Vote for the Dead Sea as one of the New7Wonders of Nature”.
“The positive exposure of the Dead Sea throughout the entire contest has reached millions of people all over the world, and through the Dead Sea in this contest they got the opportunity to see what Israel is about in a pure, positive context without the conflict,” a spokesman for the minister told The Jerusalem Post.