Cape Town was ranked by New York-based magazine Travel+Leisure readers as the No. 1 tourist destination in the Middle East and Africa category, with Jerusalem and Tel Aviv trailing close behind. The trend for Israel's booming tourism industry is clear, as more than 1.6 million visitors visited the country in just the first half of 2011 alone according to HAARETZ.

Cairo came in as the fourth, and Dubai as the fifth-best tourist destinations. Readers chose their favourite cities based on a number of criteria, including culture, sight-seeing, food and restaurants, travel costs and of course, shopping.

The magazine conducts such a poll every year, and for the last 16 years has also published a survey rating hotels, airlines, cities, spas, and islands, among other tourist information. Travel+Leisure’s readership exceeds one million loyal explorers who base their trip itinerary on advice from this leading international tourism magazine.

The jump in tourism should come as a measure of success for Israel’s Minister of Tourism Stas Miseznikov, who according the Travel+Leisure stated that “over the last two years the Ministry has reinforced its marketing activities throughout the world, focusing on creating a new image for Israel – the Holy Land with Jerusalem at its centre, with a separate focus on the cities of Eilat and Tel Aviv.”

While Tel Aviv and Jerusalem were ranked closely by readers, they are in fact quite different tourist attractions.

Jerusalem offers a unique religious experience with sites catering to all three faiths, such as the Dome of the Rock, the Kotel (Western Wall), and the Church of the Holy Sepulcher. Other attractions include official sites such as the Supreme Court, with an architectural design that alone warrants a tour. The shuk (market) in Jerusalem projects enough colours, smells and delights to satisfy any weary traveller strolling up and down the city's rolling hills.

Tel Aviv by contrast, a city full of night life and attractions, boasts a Soho-like vibe in its southern neighbourhoods, with glistening beaches along the coastline. It was named a World Heritage site by UNESCO in 2003, and has been dubbed the White City brimming with Bauhaus design that makes it unique to the region.

As marketing campaigns are a new focus in Israel, the Ministry of Tourism claims that June marked a new record hitting 262,000 tourists, and the intensive and targeted marketing campaigns will continue in order to maintain tourism traffic and increase the demand for visits to the country.