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Tourists often head to Lebanon for its shopping and nightlife attractions but this Middle Eastern destination promises a whole lot more.
The country’s tourism board aims to promote the relatively unexplored B&Bs and villages, as opposed to focusing on five-star hotels.
“This does not mean we don’t acknowledge and appreciate our nightlife. Rather, it means we want to give travellers a much wider option and want people to really get to know our culture and heritage,” said Mona Fares, director of promotions and development at Lebanon’s Ministry of Tourism.
The idea behind the Dhiafee programme, launched during the Arabian Travel Market, is to encourage responsible tourism, which will ensure a successful relationship between host and guest.
Community tourism
The programme supports hotels, guesthouses and family-run inns, scattered across the unique settings of Lebanon.
“This is not a new field of tourism for a country like Lebanon, which, during the past century, was a summer-vacation centre for all Gulf countries by virtue of its beautiful weather, rural tourism and services,” Fares said.
She said the most important factor in promoting the lesser-known villages and areas of Lebanon is to establish ethical travel by working with NGOs and local authorities.
Such places include Aakar in northern Lebanon and a multitude of forests.
“Tourists can discover the real society, the real people, history and habitats. We focus on training the local people and ecotour operators,” she said.
The Dhiafee programme is set to create more jobs for the local community as well as allow residents a better opportunity to stay in villages economically.
Rising trend
Fares said the average tourist will not stay in the smaller inns if he or she did not have an interest in the the wide range of aspects of the country’s history and culture.
Fares also said this type of tourism is a growing trend with at least 40 per cent of world travellers preferring ecotourism.
At the moment, the highest numbers of tourists are Lebanese migrants — Gulf visitors who like to go to archaeological sites — followed by Europeans who often include Lebanon in a multicountry exploration itinerary.
Variety in a nutshell
“Lebanon is a small country and visitors can travel across it in about four hours but can stay for a month,” Fares said.
A journey through Mt Lebanon villages nestled in the mountains between the Cedars forest, the Bekaa Valley — which Fares said boasts the oldest vestige of the Romans and other archaeological sites — and kayaking in the river are also recommended while on your trip.
For more information, visit www.dhiafeeprogram.org
As from December 1, Emirates will operate five direct flights a week to Nice.
“With the new flights, we expect at least 100,000 more visitors annually. At the moment, around ten million passengers pass through the Cote D’Azur region, which is the second-most visited place in France,” said Filip Soete, director of marketing for Nice Airport.
Always-blue sky
Nice prides itself on being a tourist destination, which can be enjoyed all year round because winter temperatures can even go more than 16C.
Ria Kolembusova, leisure and tourism manager for Nice, said visitors are first welcomed by the blue of the sky for more than 300 days of the year. And the international airport is just 5km from the city centre.
One of the main events is a carnival organised annually in February and March. It dates back to the 13th century.
Events galore
“We also have sporting events, folk festivals and a jazz festival in July. Nice is a combination of art, history, architecture, culture, entertainment, activities, with both the sea and the mountains — so you can hardly do better anywhere else!” Kolembusova said.
She recommends visitors experience the Old Town because it is compact and a great way to enjoy the scenic walks while gazing at the unique architecture.
In this picturesque neighbourhood, there is a castle hill that is 100 metres above the sea level and there is a tourist train to take you to the top.
There are also at least 20 museums and galleries in Nice, and the new tramway includes works by artists who were invited to create something unique for each stop.
Cannes: It is most famous for its film festival that attracts many A-list celebrities each year.
It’s a trendy getaway not only for movie stars but every holidaymaker who wishes to take advantage of this experience.
Cannes also has the same luxury fashion brands as in Paris, which makes it a shopper’s paradise.
“We have fantastic architecture, nature and historical places. For example, we have two beautiful islands just 20 minutes by boat. The first is called the Island of St Margaret,” said Laure Toma-Auneau, leisure and tourism manager for Cannes.
Here, you can step back in time to explore the legend of The Man with the Iron Mask and visit the jail he is said to have been housed in. In front of the Island of St Margaret is the Island of St Honorat.
“There is an 11th-century monastery and the monks there live exactly as they did years ago,” she said.
Drive away worries
In between Cannes, Monaco and Nice (which are about 30km away from each other) are medieval villages. And an hour’s drive will take you to the Alps, where you can swim and ski — all in the same day.
Since the three cities are close to each other and to St Tropez and Italy, holidaymakers try to experience it all in one visit.
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