Jerusalem may be the most famous city in the modern nation of Israel, but Tel Aviv is its semi-capital, for lack of a better word. Due to the controversy concerning portions of Jerusalem being claimed by both Muslim and Jewish groups as "rightfully" theirs, most nations have elected to establish their foreign embassies in Tel Aviv instead. Much of the government infrastructure is also headquartered here.
In addition, Tel Aviv has become a popular tourist destination in its own right. Famed for its 24-hour culture, it is known as "The City that Never Sleeps, a fact that draws between one and two million tourists every year. This popularity is responsible in part for Tel Aviv's status as the second-largest economy in its region; Israel, of course, is located in the Middle East.
Tel Aviv is famous for its beaches, which offer visitors a view of the wide expanse of the Mediterranean Sea. Parks are another important facet of the city's amenities: no single urban park in Israel receives more visitors than Tel Aviv's Hayarkon Park, which welcomes 16 million guests each year. Other parks located within the city limits include Dubnow Park, Charles Clore Park, Meir Park, and Independence Park, which celebrates the nation's emergence as a modern independent state in the late 1940s. So firm is Tel Aviv's dedication to green and open spaces, that almost 19% of its land area is covered with gardens and parks, which means that vacation rentals in Tel Aviv are never located far from beautiful scenery.