Beach resorts Bathing suits trump bombs

Contrasting images portray the tourism business in Lebanon this summer. Visit the downtown of Beirut or the shopping areas popular with guests from the Gulf region, and business is minimal or at best, slow. But go to seaside resorts along the Lebanese coast from the north to the south and you see crowded beaches with vivacious parties that start from, or last into, the morning. Downtown Beirut, which at this time of the year in stable political conditions would have been packed with Gulf Arabs and foreign tourists spending their money, is barely seeing visitors in the wake of political tensions and security threats that have gripped the country since December 2006. The whole city should be buzzing with visitors; however, we can only see some expatriates returning to vacation in their homeland. Desperate retailers place their hopes on putting up sales signs and the restaurant scene in the city