The recognition marks the first time Jerusalem has made it to the publication’s global top 10 since the rankings were established.
By Shula Rosen
Jerusalem ranked seventh among the world’s best cities in the 2026 Travel + Leisure World’s Best Awards, earning the highest placement of any city in the Middle East and Africa and entering the publication’s global top 10 for the first time.
The annual ranking is based on Travel + Leisure readers’ evaluations of destinations around the world.
This year’s survey drew more than 207,000 participants, who cast more than 661,000 votes covering cities, hotels, airlines, cruise lines, and other tourism-related businesses.
Now in its 31st year, the World’s Best Awards evaluate cities across several categories, including attractions and landmarks, culture, cuisine, friendliness, and shopping opportunities.
Jerusalem received a score of 91.11, placing it seventh worldwide and first in the Africa and Middle East region.
The city ranked behind San Miguel de Allende, Mexico; Kyoto, Japan; Chiang Mai, Thailand; Hoi An, Vietnam; Oaxaca, Mexico; and Bangkok, Thailand.
Jerusalem finished ahead of Siem Reap, Cambodia; Mexico City; and Tokyo, which rounded out the top 10. The Israeli capital also ranked ahead of several other internationally recognized destinations, including Florence, Seoul, Prague, Cape Town, Salzburg, and Krakow.
The recognition marks the first time Jerusalem has broken into the publication’s global top 10 since the rankings were established.
The survey measures readers’ experiences across multiple aspects of travel, with respondents rating destinations on their attractions, cultural offerings, dining, hospitality, and shopping.
The ranking comes as Israel continues to record significant tourism activity. According to Israel’s Central Bureau of Statistics, the country welcomed 1,318,000 tourists in 2025.
Jerusalem’s placement made it the highest-ranked destination in its region while placing it among the world’s highest-rated travel destinations in the annual readers’ survey. The result also distinguished the city from a number of well-known international tourism centers that finished lower in the global rankings.
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