The Minister of Tourism in the caretaker government, Walid Nassar, mentioned that "since the first day in the ministry, we have followed a strategy to restore Lebanon's relations with the international community." He clarified that "the relationship between Lebanon and the World Tourism Organization was inactive and unproductive, but we met with the organization's president, discussed, and laid out many projects. We nominated Bkassin in 2021, which won the award for one of the best tourist villages in the world."
During a celebration for the town of Douma in Batroun's achievement in the "Best Tourist Villages in the World" initiative for 2023, he said: "We repeated this experience with the municipality of Douma. When we proposed the project to the mayor, there was some hesitation, but I told them that dreams come true when there is vision and serious work, and that nothing is impossible. Here we are today celebrating Douma as one of the best tourist villages in the world."
Nassar affirmed that "we want Lebanon to be a decision-maker, especially in tourism and development. The Lebanese diaspora has proven its productivity and efficiency in the Arab community," emphasizing that "we follow an open-door policy in the Ministry of Tourism, and we expect municipalities to be active and ambitious, like the Douma municipality." He highlighted the "tourism and economic development that Deputy Gebran Bassil, president of the Free Patriotic Movement, has carried out in Batroun over the past 10 years, making it one of the highly developed cities."
He pointed out that "in 2023, we launched the 'Ahla Bhal Tala' campaign, which won the award for 'Best Arab Promotional Campaign' at the Berlin Tourism Fair. Today, from Douma, the Ministry of Tourism announces the tourism campaign for the 2024 season, titled: 'A Journey Ahead,' hoping for a positive response and that the media will help promote the summer of 2024."
He added: "Tourism needs security, stability, and peace. Peace is not granted or given; we must be makers of peace in the region," focusing on "our resistance to death with life, building and launching productive projects, and transforming the rentier economy into a productive one. The ministry's budget is 0%, while the tourism sector contributes 40% to the GDP."
