Bhamdoun’s tourism wasteland

It is a depressing sight: closed shops, empty restaurants, and abandoned hotels. Bhamdoun’s main street, once the glittering gem of Lebanon’s golden age, betrays nothing of its polished upscale past. Today, the mountain town’s disheveled appearance, with its dug up main road and abandoned buildings, seems to be conspiring to keep the tourists away. Local business owners admit that a rethink of business strategy is in order. Some believe that the town should focus on attracting more year-round local tourists, rather than waiting for a return in force of Gulf Arab tourists that has not yet materialized. Bhamdoun is just 20-minutes by car from Beirut, a steep climb that brings you 1,200 meters above sea level. Its cool and dry summer climate, easy access, and proximity to the capital made it a popular summer destination for many coastal dwellers. In fact, before the 1975-90 civil war, the town was famous