The tourist flow to Syria via Lebanon may increase next year provided that the situation with the mass anti-government protests in Beirut and major Lebanese cities stabilizes, acting Lebanese Tourism Minister Avedis Guidanian told Sputnik
BEIRUT (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 02nd December, 2019) The tourist flow to Syria via Lebanon may increase next year provided that the situation with the mass anti-government protests in Beirut and major Lebanese cities stabilizes, acting Lebanese Tourism Minister Avedis Guidanian told Sputnik."We are not talking about large numbers, but there is a certain movement. If the situation in Lebanon was calm, it could be said that this tourist direction would grow markedly in 2020," Guidanian said, adding that several foreign companies from Russia and Europe had programs for tourist trips via Lebanon to Syria, including pilgrimage.
Such tourists normally arrive in the Beirut international airport and then proceed to Syria by land, the minister explained.
The popularity of Lebanon as a tourist destination and stopover dropped dramatically after protests began across the country on October 17. The unrest was triggered by the government's decision to introduce a tax on internet calls via the WhatsApp messenger. Despite the measure being scrapped and Prime Minister Saad Hariri and his cabinet being dismissed, people have remained in the streets to demand economic reforms, specifically in the banking sector.
The rallies have grown violent and are now often accompanied by clashes between protesters and police. The situation escalated to the point at which the government ordered the military to refrain from using excessive force against the protesters.
