Lebanon is trying to attract Russian tourists and hopes that their numbers will increase to 100,000-150,000 annually within next several years, acting Lebanese Tourism Minister Avedis Guidanian told Sputnik
BEIRUT (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 02nd December, 2019) Lebanon is trying to attract Russian tourists and hopes that their numbers will increase to 100,000-150,000 annually within next several years, acting Lebanese Tourism Minister Avedis Guidanian told Sputnik.
"We are focusing on a certain group of Russian tourists. We are not speaking about hundreds of thousands of Russian tourists. We cannot imagine a situation like in Cyprus, which is visited by some 800,000 Russian tourists per year. We are speaking about 50,000, 100,000 or 150,000 Russian tourists per year. I believe that we can reach these figures," the Lebanese official said.
According to the minister, the joint work of Russian and Lebanese companies has already resulted in increased interest in Lebanon among Russian tourists.
"Lebanon made a mistake because it has not worked in the Russian market. We started to invite [Russians] in Lebanon ... Lebanon is a very beautiful country, people like to relax and have fun here. You know that and that is why it is easy to fall in love with our country," Guidanian noted.
According to the Ministry of Tourism, almost 18,500 Russian tourists have visited Lebanon so far this year, which is 2,000 more than last year.
Lebanon is attractive for tourists due to both its historical and natural sights. The cities of Beirut, Tyre, Byblos and Sidon are some of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world, while the eastern city of Baalbek has a great complex of ancient Roman ruins. In terms of nature, Lebanon is famous for its Cedars of God forests and the Jeita Grotto, a system of two interconnected karstic limestone caves.
At the same time, the political instability in Lebanon amid massive protests has created significant obstacles for foreign tourists who want to visit the country.
