22 May 2009
BEIRUT: "Expensive" is perhaps the most appropriate way to describe Lebanon's tourism sector. The focus here has long been on attracting rich Gulf Arabs who don't bat an eyelid at the prospect of forking out hundreds of dollars for an upscale hotel room in the capital. The concepts of rural tourism, eco-lodges, hostels and other cheaper alternatives have been left to gather dust.
The industry is slowly changing, however. Lebanon's first website listing non-hotel lodging was launched on Thursday in the hope of promoting sustainable and rural tourism. Hostelslebanon.com was unveiled to the public at the Tourism Ministry offices in Beirut's Hamra district. A total of 110 lodges are included on the website, which was devised by travel website hostelsclub.com and Lebanon Roots, a travel agency and tour operator established by the Lebanese Maronite Order that specializes in religious tourism and pilgrimages. "With this network, we suggest a cheaper alternative to the hotel reservation system and offer charming lodgings to help individuals, families and groups discover Lebanon at reasonable prices," says the brochure.
Comprising convents, home-stays, schools, campsites, eco-lodges and other places offering a place to sleep, the website gives visitors the most comprehensive guide to Lebanon's alternative accommodation to date. The user-friendly website provides photos and detailed information about the accommodation, and although bookings can't be made online yet, it's in the works. Once that happens, hostelslebanon.com will likely become the new "travel bible" of those wishing to experience Lebanon's less-traveled tourist routes, and provide some financial relief for travelers counting their pennies.
In addition to the website, Lebanon Roots has also published a handy brochure listing information about the lodgings. A legend indicating price, room type, environmental setting and other criterion allows visitors to quickly scan through and find their ideal accommodation. Christian pilgrims will be pleased to see a number of convents included on the list. Nature lovers will likewise find an abundance of eco-lodges to stay at.
The project is the fruit of three years of researching alternative lodging, Lebanon Roots Managing Director Nour Haddad told The Daily Star. Many of the lesser-known lodges were discovered through village visits and conversations with locals, she said. "It's more to inform people [about Lebanon's wealth of hotel alternatives] than to provide a service," Haddad said of the website. One of the key goals of the website and brochure project is indeed to help situate these alternative lodgings in the tourism sector and to encourage both Lebanese and foreign tourists to spend money and time in rural communities. The website will be of great help to many of the lodgings who previously relied on word of mouth recommendations to sustain business.
Director General of the Tourism Ministry Nada Sardouk was keen to emphasize the project was not taking aim at Lebanon's more established hotels, but rather providing the finishing touches to an incomplete picture of the country's tourism sector. "This is a way to help Lebanon and to build a more sustainable future," she said. The website will also help prepare the Lebanese tourism market for the day when an ease in regional tensions allows for the country to become a more appealing holiday destination.
While hostelslebanon.com does not charge a fee for listing accommodation, it does maintain a standard for who it advertises. The lodging should not be classified by the Tourism Ministry as a hotel, have less than three beds, and should not cost more than $35 per person per night, including breakfast.
Copyright The Daily Star 2009.
