Despite a huge campaign by the Tourism Ministry and many efforts to amass votes, the Dead Sea has been left out of the list of finalists for the new seven wonders of nature.

The voting officially closed on Friday (11.11.11) at 11:11 a.m. (Britain time). 28 sites around the world had been part of the contest, and the Dead Sea was believed to have been among the 14 finalists, but when the seven new wonders were officially announced on Friday evening, it was off the list.

The seven finalists that received the most votes are the Amazon Rainforest which spans several countries in South America, Halong Bay in Vietnam, Iguazu Falls in Argentina and Brazil, Jeju Island in South Korea, Indonesia’s Komodo National Park, the Puerto Princesa Subterranean River National Park in the Philippines, and Table Mountain in South Africa.

Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu said earlier this week that having the Dead Sea chosen as one of the new seven wonders “could mean a big boost in tourism for Israel, for Jordan and for the Palestinian Authority, and it could be a big boost for expanding economic cooperation at a time of great instability in our region.”

“Economic growth fosters stability,” Netanyahu noted, “and that is something we all have a keen interest in.”

The Dead Sea is popular attraction for tourists from all over the world, not only for its low-UV sunlight and oxygen-rich air, but also for its healthful mineral-rich waters. The combination of the two are known to be useful as a remedy for psoriasis and other medical conditions.