27 April 2010
BEIRUT: Promoting Lebanon in foreign countries remains weak and still requires much work, said Tourism Minister Fadi Abboud on Monday.
“Advertising is the best way to promote one’s country. Foreign countries usually compete by creating a tourism image to attract tourists,” he said.
Abboud added that the ministry used to focus on Arab countries while promoting Lebanon because Arab tourists make 40 percent of the total tourism activity in the country and 70 percent of the total expenditures in this sector.
“This year, we will focus on the European market and we will target countries such as Spain, Germany, Russia and Britain,” he said.
His remarks came during a news conference at the Tourism Ministry in Beirut to announce that the ministry received the silver award for its movie ad titled, “It’s hard to leave Lebanon,” during the Golden City Gate Awards ceremony held in Berlin in March 2010.
The movie, which was implemented by Impact BBDO, competed with 110 advertising movies from 32 countries. “The movie played in front of an international audience of experts in the tourism sector and contributed in giving a great image of Lebanon and its tourism sector,” he said.
Abboud said the movie was successful in conveying the great feeling every Lebanese citizen feels toward this small country. “Lebanon is a small country but it contains a variety of cultures, civilizations and religions,” he added. “It gives tourists a chance to get exposed to all kinds of experiences despite the tough moments it went through during the past few years,” he added.
He said Lebanon does not have a proper infrastructure but it still attracts a great number of tourists every year. “Tourism revenues reached $7 billion in 2009 and the sector is expected to growth at a 20 percent rate in 2010,” he said.
Abboud encouraged the promotion of tourism in all of the Lebanese areas and not just in Beirut. “A lot of Lebanese areas are still behind when it comes to tourism and it is our duty to work on encouraging different kinds of tourism activities for us to be able to reach all these areas,” he said.
He said that the Tourism Ministry made a deal with Middle East Airlines to give good offers to tourists who plan to visit areas outside Beirut.
Abboud added that the number of Turkish tourists increased since the two countries signed an agreement to lift the visas requirements. “We ask security organizations to treat tourists in a very good way because tourism contributes to our GDP at a rate of 25 percent,” he said.
He added that there will be great control over restaurants and those who cheat will have to pay a LL3 million fine.
Since the day of his appointment as a tourism minister, Abboud promised to implement serious reforms in the sector.
The reforms will begin with the very basics of the sector with requests that restaurants and hotels display their menus outside of their premises.
“This is considered to be at the very basic because tourists would like to see what is being offered by restaurants in addition to their prices range before entering,” he previously told The Daily Star in an exclusive interview. – The Daily Star
Copyright The Daily Star 2010.
