Tel Aviv has snagged two more international honors — as one of the world’s most creative cities, and as the most gay-friendly metropolis.
Regarding the first accolade, Canada’s Globe and Mail newspaper lists Tel Aviv together with London, Sydney, Stockholm and Shanghai as global centers of technological innovation.
“The entire population of Israel may only number 7 million — smaller than New York City — but this Middle Eastern state spends more of its GDP on research and development than any other nation,” the newspaper reported.
The newspaper highlighted recent transactions involving Israeli companies, all with offices in or near Tel Aviv. They included U.S. chipmaker Broadcom’s purchase of Provigent for $313 million; Facebook’s $70 million acquisition of app developer Snaptu; and eBay’s buyout of e-commerce site The Gifts Project for a reported $20 million.
The report also stated that companies such as those producing the facial recognition software Face.com and the crowd-sourced GPS navigator Waze will only secure Tel Aviv’s “bright future.”
The report showed that in the first three quarters of 2011 alone, 422 Israeli start-ups raised $1.57 billion in venture capital, and an estimated 250 multinationals maintain R&D operations there.
“What we do know is that while Tel Aviv is small, it’s one giant innovation engine,” said the report.
It’s also apparently one giant gay party, according to members of GayCities, a popular website and mobile app that allows LGBT readers to share news and opinions about the places where they live and travel.
In a clear slap in the face to San Francisco, Tel Aviv won the site’s “Best of GayCities” challenge to win “City of the Year,” the contest’s top award.
San Francisco had to settle for “Best Pride City,” while New York walked away with the more festive “Best Nightlife City.”
Tens of thousands of people voted in the contest; for a complete list of winners, visit www.gaycities.com/best-of-2011.
In 2010, the National Geographic magazine listed Tel Aviv among the world’s best beach cities. Later that year, the Lonely Planet travel guide named Tel Aviv the third best city in the world to visit.
j. staff contributed to this article.