As the votes comes in, Tourism minister asks for Israelis to vote for the Dead Sea in the international contest “New 7 Wonders of Nature” campaign. Israel is currently in the top 10 and the tourism minister said “we're closer than ever to victory … We must not be apathetic.” The contest will conclude on Friday at 11.11.2011 at 11:11 Zurich time (13:11 Israel time) with the winners being announced Sunday. Also in the lead include the Grand Canyon (United States), the Great Barrier Reef (Australia), Halong Bay (Vietnam), Jeita Grotto (Lebanon), Jeju Island (Korea), Komodo Island (Indonesia), Puerto Princess Underground River (the Philippines), Sundarbans (Bangladesh and India) and Mount Vesuvius (Italy). Thus far, the government has spent millions of shekels propelling a media battle to secure a winning spot in the contest; the Tourism Ministry says will bring a significant boost in visitors to the Dead Sea area and to Israel in general. BM