Tourism Minister: An important and surprising tourism initiative would have taken place in Lebanon if not for the Gaza war

Caretaker Tourism Minister Walid Nassar affirmed that air traffic has resumed in Lebanon despite the Gaza war, with global airlines resuming flights to Beirut.

Speaking on LBCI's "Nharkom Said" TV show, he referred to the World Bank report indicating that the tourism sector in Lebanon is the top contributor to the local GDP.

He compared the current phase Lebanon is going through to the "COVID-19" stage but emphasized the difference due to the current presence of security instability.

Nassar explained that approximately 55 to 60 percent of planes arrive in Beirut, translating to about 8,000 individuals daily.

He highlighted intensive activities in tourist areas, especially in Mount Lebanon and Beirut, particularly in restaurants and entertainment fields, with 27 major Christmas activities.

Emphasizing the need to keep Lebanon away from war, Nassar stated, "resistance is not only with weapons but with everyone working in their productive sector with sustainable plans."

Regarding Douma being one of the most beautiful towns globally for tourism, he confirmed that this is due to the policies followed by the ministry and specialized projects abroad.

He stated, "Douma markets will be opened soon after restoration, and we thank Qatar for its support. We nominated Batroun for the Arab Tourism Organization as the most beautiful summer town and Kfardebian for winter tourism for the next year."

Nassar clarified that the ministry's goal was to develop domestic tourism, stimulate religious tourism, and open offices for the ministry.

He announced Lebanon's affiliation with the Cultural Routes of the Council of Europe, making it the only non-European country to connect it with European countries.

He also announced the ministry's work to introduce Lebanon to the World Tourism Organization, potentially gaining a position on the executive board soon.

He said, "I launched a specific vision from the Lebanese embassy in Riyadh, aligning with Saudi Arabia's Vision 2030 as the largest Arab economy. Lebanon should play a leading role in decision-making in joint projects due to the presence of the Lebanese community in the Kingdom."

He added, "This is a long-term project in cooperation with Qatar, the Saudi Ministry of Tourism, and the Gulf Cooperation Council to connect Arab countries in tourism projects."

Nassar confirmed the resumption of work on this vision starting in January.

He explained that the ministry is outlining the plans, while implementation will be in collaboration with the private sector.

Revealing an essential and surprising initiative "with tourism as its gateway," Nassar stated that Lebanon would have witnessed it if the Gaza war had not begun, following "the ministry's work on reestablishing relations between Lebanon and the Arab neighbors."

He announced the main project for 2024, which is the operation of tourist offices opened in Lebanon in 2021 in partnership with the private sector and their rehabilitation. The first office will be in Jbeil.

Nassar noted that private sector companies have specific platforms with surveys of tourism establishments. "We need to gather them to issue an official unified map under the name of the Ministry of Tourism."

He said: "We previously launched the religious pilgrimage from Dimane, and its symbolism applies to all sects. We included many sites on the religious tourism map, and Lebanon is the richest country in religious pilgrimage due to religious pluralism."

He requested that tourism establishments adopt licenses.