Promoting tourism starts at home

No cultural tourism enthusiast would feel that a trip to Beijing is complete without visiting the Forbidden City, or to Athens without at least passing by the Acropolis, and the same thing can be said for Paris and the Louvre Museum. While cultural tourism is not the only form of tourism, it is the one that brings in the largest number of visitors to a country. Lebanon, which also has culturally significant antiquities has failed to cultivate these sites as touristic destinations that would match the aforementioned attractions. Global examples such as Petra in Jordan or the Mayan Temples in Mexico show that developing touristic destinations around culturally significant landmarks can be done and would bring in benefits such as an increased number of visitors to the country, as well as increased economic benefits including investment opportunities in businesses complementary to tourism and employment. Yet, Lebanon has largely missed this