In our July issue, Executive devoted a special section to the tourism sector in Lebanon. Like the rest of the country, we eagerly anticipated a record season in 2006: the tourism ministry predicted 1.6 million tourists would enter Lebanon this year, and estimated the value of the sector at around $4.5 billion. On July 12, these dreams abruptly ground to a halt. The following days saw desperate tourists flee the country en masse; festivals and concerts were cancelled; restaurants, hotels, nightclubs and beach resorts shut their doors. The crucial sector is now on hold: according to industry experts, the future of tourism in Lebanon hinges on the type of settlement reached at the end of the conflict. Anything less than a comprehensive solution will spell its permanent demise; if a lasting settlement is achieved, there is a chance the sector may bounce back stronger than ever. Overnight catastrophe “It’s really
