Masada, the ancient mountain-top fortress near the Dead Sea, was the most popular tourist site in Israel in 2008, according to recent research by Dun and Bradstreet. Their research indicated that Masada, out of all the sites that charge an entrance fee (and hence eliminating the ultimate freebies, the Old City of Jerusalem, Tel Aviv beach and the Bahai Gardens in Haifa) was 2008’s most visited site, knocking the Biblical Gardens of Jerusalem off the top spot.

The research of the Top 10 sites also shows that total visitor numbers were up some 7.5% from the previous year, a good healthy increase considering the world’s current economic climate. 2009 numbers are expected to take a hit however.

Masada is pretty spectacular, and is, of course, one of our most recommended places to visit in the Holy Land. A pre-dawn trip to the top of Masada to catch the sunrise is highly recommended. In 2008, some 721,915 visitors stopped off at Masada, also making it the biggest earner, raking in some 29 million shekels (about $7 million), up almost a third from the previous year.

Sneaking into second place and perhaps somewhat surprisingly: the ruins of Caesarea. Last year some 713,648 people visited Caesarea’s ruins – up over 20% from the previous year. Despite the great numbers the site is not really seen as a big earner in the tourist industry, bringing in only 8.4 million shekels in 2008 (about $2 million).

Settling for third spot, Jerusalem’s Biblical Zoo. The site had 687,647 visitors in 2008, a slight decrease from the previous year, also resulting in a slight decline in income, down to a still sizable 24 million shekels (about $6 million).

The rest of the top 10 most popular sites in Israel:

4. Ramat Gan Safari, which attracted 581,800 visitors in 2008.

5. Hamat Gader near Lake Kinneret, attracted an estimated 500,000 visitors.

6. Eilat Underwater Observatory Marine Park with 458,000 visitors.

7. The Banyas, up in the Galilee, with 430,531 visitors.

8. Yamit 2000 water park with 412,533 visitors.

9. Tel Aviv Luna Park with an estimated 400,000 visitors.

10. Qumran National Park with 389,291 visitors.