Very safe indeed! One protester was killed and several were injured Sunday outside the Iranian Embassy in Beirut. via Naharnet
Tourism Minister Fadi Abboud stated today that Lebanon is ready to welcome tourists and the decision Gulf countries took to prevent their citizens from traveling to Lebanon is wrong.
He also said and I quote that Lebanon remains the best when it comes to security when compared with countries around the world.
وإذ رأى أن الخطر موجود في كل بلدان العالم، أكد أن “لبنان يبقى الافضل على الصعيد الامني مقارنة بين بلدان العالم”، معلنا “عدم الاستسلام للارهابيين من أينما أتوا وستبقى أرض لبنان أرض المحبة والانفتاح والسياحة وهذه هي رسالتنا الى كل العالم”.
It’s just pathetic how we are trying to make use of the situation in Turkey to attract tourists. What Lebanon needs is a proper plan to set up touristic areas away from the conflicts and more importantly build a second airport in a neutral and safe area. There are plenty of things we can do instead of deceiving people into thinking Lebanon is the safest.
The issue is not “visiting” Lebanon, it’s more like “Will we be able to leave if they closed down the airport road?”
Bilal we always did it back in the 80’s from jounieh to larnaka by boat!!
Very safe if you live in the small cantons…
its a safe as swiming in our beaches
He even commented yesterday on the situation in Turkey on OTV and mentioned that 90% of the GCC tourist cancelled their trips to Turkey…
When I first saw this blog,I said well this blog will reflect the real image of Lebanon
Well it is not true, i read what is written and it only shows negative vibes
I hope that you will change your strategy, specially that the ranking of you blog is impressive.
Good Luck
Joyce
Hi Joyce
First thank u for reading and hope that u always will. I try as much as possible to bring out the positive aspects of our country but I find it misleading and irresponsible to deceive people into visiting Lebanon without knowing what’s happening. There’s also a certain credibility which I like to maintain.
Despite that I’ve always tried just like in this post to suggest alternatives to attracting tourists instead of waiting for demos and trouble in other countries. There s a minimum that’s not been done and pointing it out helps readers understand what’s happening here.
In case you missed them I’ve started last week a series on things to do in Lebanon to try and bring out the fun and interesting stuff we can do here away from the clichés.
yeah well..
you post about how to enjoy a couple of days in the country..somebody says you’re an ostrich..hmmm..
you express concerns about the local situation..somebody else is pissed about you being ..ehemm.. too negative.
..keep walking..
yesterday 3 guys were killed in Paris… Oh My God PARIS IS NOT SAFE FOR TOURISTS!
wait more, yesterday a shooter killed 6 in the USA…. REMOVE USA FROM THE TOURISM MAP!
guys can you stop your hidden hypocrite political agenda… it is clear that you are pro-farteen of march but for God’s sake stop using it against your own country’s interest!
We need the tourist back start propagating the GOOD images of Lebanon, and trust there are plenty of good images there!
Are you really, like really, saying that the situation in Paris is the same as Lebanon? We have people firing freaking mortars at each others, we have people fighting a war in another country, and not a day passes without gun fights all over the country, and you want people to believe we are “safe”?
This was always the paradox in lebanon and this never prevented tourists from visiting us… until nowadays, and more specifically when some of the farteen of march leaders lost their position in power!
It never was this much since the civil war ended. You’re delusional. And by saying “farteen” you sound like a 10 year old boy.
Just answer on question..if you were a tourist now, would you come to Lebanon?
Just remember one thing, information travels a lot faster today. The “small” incident that happened 3 days ago at the iranian embassy made the front page news on cnn, one of the most read websites of the world. Stop living in la-la land
if I was a tourist watching CNN, Jazeera and Arabia I wouldn’t come.
if I was a tourist and I see my lebanese friends picture on Facebook having a blast on beach, in Beirut pubs, or sharing their festivals programs… I would definitely come!
See, it is a question of perception and while the minister is doing his best to promote the good image, the other hypocrites are doing their best to show the ugly image!
hallucinogenic
What do you expect him to say?
“Beware! It’s open war here!”?
He’s the minister of tourism ffs, of course he’s gonna do whatever it takes to attract tourists, including lying.
Forget about politically parties/afiliations and just consider the facts.. the security situation in Lebanon has not only declined but its non existent.
The stupid minister can concentrate on what najib is doing. Advertise where you could visit; how you can spend your time on the beaches; restaurants; beautiful women(:D)…etc.
Instead he says it is safe! What a freak show. Maybe he should advertise that there’s a comedy show every Monday where a clAoun gives a hilarious news conference!
That ought to do it alone!
“stupid minister”… “clAoun”…
Impressive level of intellect.
that’s the best some losers in this country can do… Call names when they are out of intelligent replies.
Says the man who wrote “farteen of march”.
Desmond Bey
😀
josef…You must be a rancid dude most likely still ten years old. Have you ever read your comments! You are a total gem. I am sure all Lebanese are proud of people like you. Maybe you should be one of the greeters of the safe Lebanon…on their infested beaches. Show pubs eh? Should get out some when you grow up. Really there are no pubs anywhere else but in your stretch of 20km “safe’ zone. mabrook.
Are you aware that both Beirut and Byblos were rated among top 3 destinations in the region?
Are you aware that Beirut nightlife is the number one destination according to CNN travel?
if I am a 10 years old knowing those facts, while you keep showing how deep your ignorance is, I wonder how old that makes you!