| 03 Nov 2009 |
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Tourism at risk as rain stumps leaders
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03 November 2009
A record tourist season this summer saw a revival of Lebanon’s economy and considerable boasting by Lebanese who were proud that their country had gone back to attracting visitors from all over the world. But just add water, as in a bout of heavy rain and thunderstorms, and chaos has resulted, exposing the systematic weakness of our infrastructure and our political class.
The glitches of Lebanese infrastructure are well-known and it shouldn’t be an impossible quest to address them. Year after year, during less-than-tsunami-like conditions, our roads are inundated, municipal water systems are clogged with mud from drainage water, and buildings are damaged from the heavy rain that hit the country at this time of the year.
Who is to blame for the absence of a plan to cope with this outburst of the natural elements? The question almost seems absurd when put into perspective. Modern governments protect us from much more unpredictable occurrences than rainfall, such as war and disease. They provide us with much more complex services, such as education and health care. Yet, alas, our Lebanese authorities seem completely powerless when the weather runs its predictable course.
Designed with care and preparation, the country’s infrastructure should form not only a network of services that ensure the welfare of the population; it should also provide a solid basis for the Lebanese economy. With regard to the tourism industry, this could translate into an opportunity to attract visitors all year long, not only when the sun shines.
After all, Lebanon’s tourism isn’t just a summer phenomenon: we are on the verge of welcoming a winter tourist season, centered on what our ski slopes have to offer.
But news about the country’s rainy days – as in electricity problems, disrupted Internet service, flooded roads – are available on the Internet these days, and discerning foreigners, who form the bulk of our winter tourism, are likely to pick up on the breakdown in basic services.
Very few countries in the region can boast such diverse seasons as Lebanon.
Under current circumstances, with an unsurprising rainfall bringing the country to its knees, how can Lebanon hope to appeal to the affluent Gulf tourist, or the average European family?
Sadly, our leaders keep on mimicking the same expression of incredulity when faced with the plain reality of the rainfall. Their frail leadership and their incapacity to fulfill the most basic responsibilities of governance doesn’t even result from the instability of the current political situation, which has seen no government take the reigns of power in the last five months. Rather, it has typified practically every government since the country’s independence. Embroiled in their lofty power struggles, our leaders appear simply disconnected from the needs of the average citizen and businessmen.
Could the same torrent of gushing water that brings our country to a standstill be poured onto their heads to bring them to their senses?
© Copyright The Daily Star 2009.
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