Jerusalem Ranks Seventh Globally in Prestigious Travel Awards, Outranking Tokyo and Prague

Jerusalem achieved a remarkable milestone by ranking seventh worldwide in the 2026 World's Best Awards by the American travel magazine Travel + Leisure. This ranking is based on over 661,000 votes from more than 207,000 readers, who evaluated over 10,000 hotels, cities, cruise lines, airlines, and tourism businesses globally. Jerusalem also earned the title of the best city in the Africa and Middle East region, surpassing iconic destinations such as Tokyo and Prague.

This accomplishment is notable given the current challenges in Israel's tourism sector, which is still recovering from the impacts of recent conflicts. In 2025, Israel welcomed approximately 1.3 million tourists, an increase from 2024 but significantly lower than the 3 million visitors in 2023 and the peak of 4.5 million in 2019. Despite this, a Ministry of Tourism survey found that 88% of visitors expressed high satisfaction with their experience, and 83% said they would recommend Israel as a travel destination.

The World's Best Awards, now in its 31st year, ranks cities based on criteria including attractions, culture, cuisine, tourist friendliness, shopping, and value for money. Jerusalem's rise to the top of the regional ranking and entry into the global top ten marks a significant improvement from 2024, when it was third in the region and outside the global top ten. The top five cities this year are San Miguel de Allende (Mexico), Kyoto (Japan), Chiang Mai (Thailand), Hoi An (Vietnam), and Oaxaca (Mexico).