Lebanon beckons tourists

Just as Jordan and Egypt have enjoyed better relations with the US in the wake of reconciliation with Israel - especially in annual aid packages - Lebanon has hopes of being rewarded for throwing its support behind the peace process.

But Syria, still acting as proxy for Lebanon at the negotiating table, doesn't want Beirut to agree to any separate peace deal with Israel until Damascus first reaches its goal: an Israeli withdrawal from the Golan Heights.

The symbols of Syria's dominance of Lebanon are visible on the tourist trek around the Bekaa Valley - home to Baalbek and its 2,000-year-old temples, but also to Syrian Army camps and Hizbullah strongholds. Snapshots from the bus - portraits of Mr. Assad, soldiers lined up for a morning drill, a field full of Katyusha rocket launchers - could make a discomforting postcard for the less-than-intrepid traveler.

"Everyone thought I was really mad when I said I was coming here," says Nina Gillsvik, a young tourist from Sweden. "They said, 'What are you, crazy? There's a war in Lebanon.' Most people prefer Spain or Greece. And actually, when I saw how much of Beirut was still in ruins, I was shocked."

Indeed, many corners of the Lebanese capital belie the fact that a decade has passed since the end of the civil war. Downtown, a funky palette of new pastel-colored high-rises are still interspersed with the shells of buildings so pocked by gunfire that they look like gray sponges. But many here have been critical of the Disney-like quality of the rebuilt enclaves of Beirut fashioned by Solidere, the Lebanese real estate group founded by Rafik al-Hariri, the construction magnate and former prime minister. That, coupled with news that Solidere is losing money, have fed doubts about Beirut's restoration plans.

At least some investors, however, are sanguine about Beirut's comeback. Several large hotels have recently opened, while others are rising from the rubble with new management from international hotel chains such as Inter-Continental, Marriott, and Meridien.

The Lebanese government spends less than one percent of the national budget on tourism, potentially the history-drenched country's most lucrative product. The tourism industry has been pressing the government to develop a master plan for tourism. One such proposal, being developed by Monitor, a US consultancy group, is supposed to be presented to the prime minister in the next few months. The plans include a much-needed cleanup of beaches and better labeling of archeological sites.

"A lot of hotels are being built and reopening, so someone must be optimistic and they're probably expecting a boom," says Myrna Bustani, the director of the Socit de Hotel de Tourisme. In her family-owned hotel, however, only 50 percent of the rooms are occupied. "That peace in the Middle East will help all of us, including the Israelis. That goes without saying."

(c) Copyright 2000. The Christian Science Publishing Society

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