Tourism in Lebanon
For those interested in tourism in Lebanon, you can contact us via WhatsApp: 0096181260152
The nature of Lebanon and its cultural and historical diversity as a result of the various civilizations that passed through it made it a prominent destination for foreign tourists. The country includes a number of monuments and activities of interest to different groups of people.
There are many Greek and Roman ruins remaining, Arab, Byzantine and Crusader forts and castles, limestone caves, churches and mosques. Historic beaches, sandy and rocky beaches, amusement parks and nightclubs, mountain ski resorts, in addition to the world-famous Lebanese cuisine.
There are many private investments that are surfacing now in this growing sector, and many international hotel companies have returned to the country after they left at the beginning of the civil war. The “Casino du Liban” reopened in 1996, which was a major destination for tourists during the sixties of the twentieth century.
Lebanon is the only country in the Arab world that can be visited in the winter to practice skiing and other winter sports, as the largest ski resort in the country was expanded and renovated, to accommodate more people and provide them with better services.
Officials believe that with the return of peace and stability to Lebanon, the tourism sector will once again be the most important source of income for the Lebanese government. The Lebanese tourism sector also depends on the large number of Lebanese immigrants who return every year to their home country during the summer season to spend it with their family and friends.
Tourism in Lebanon is one of the most important sources of income in the state treasury, as it has been since ancient times and still constitutes a pillar of the Lebanese national economy, and provides job opportunities for many people.
Before the civil war, Lebanon was seen as the “Switzerland of the East”, as it attracted foreign capital and business and many tourists who wanted to learn about the culture and customs of the people of the eastern Mediterranean.
From Stone Age settlements to Phoenician-era cities, from Roman temples to rock-cut hermitages, and from Crusader castles to Mamluk mosques and Ottoman baths, historical and archaeological sites across the country are on display reflecting the history of the ancient and modern world.
Lebanon has a long history of cultural tourism.
Interest in the culture of the Lebanese Levant was aroused after the visits of many European Orientalists, scholars and poets, especially Alphonse de Lamartine, Ernest Renan and Victor Guerin.
Castles and forts tourism:
1 – Musailha Fort or Musailha Fort
Cultural tourism:
Lebanon is considered one of the richest countries culturally, as it combines a number of eastern and western monuments, from human settlements dating back to the Stone Age, to Phoenician cities and states, and from Roman temples to rituals dug in the mountains, and from Crusader castles to Mamluk mosques and Ottoman public baths.
Thus, some say that Lebanon is a “mosaic that combines the Western and Eastern worlds” and “an encyclopedia of modern and ancient civilizations of the ancient world.”
The history of cultural tourism is very old in Lebanon, as many orientalists, scholars and European poets visited the country for their interest in Eastern Lebanese culture and customs, most notably: Alphonse de Lamartine, Ernest Renan and Victor Guerin, most of whom came in the nineteenth century to get acquainted closely with the historical monuments, sites Antiquities, traditional clothing, religious ceremonies, or pilgrimages to some holy places and shrines.
Some of them left after visiting some paintings and diaries.
Archeology Tourism:
The history of archeology in Lebanon is very old, dating back to the Mutasarrifiya era, when the Mutasarrif Wasah Pasha (1883-1893) was the first of the rulers to be interested in excavating antiquities. Many archaeological sites in Lebanon have been discovered during the past eras until today, and some of them that were damaged during the civil war have been restored, but many other sites still lie under the inhabited cities and villages that were built on their ruins since ancient times.
Museum tourism:
Beirut National Museum: Founded in 1937, it contains about 100,000 artifacts, most of which date back to the ancient and medieval eras, including about 1,300 artifacts dating from prehistoric times to the Mamluk era in the Middle Ages.
Gibran Museum: It was originally a monastery in the town of Bcharre, then turned into a museum by the “Gibran Friends Society”, in honor of the Lebanese-American philosopher, writer, poet, painter and theologian Gibran Khalil Gibran. The museum contains Gibran’s memoirs, his home furniture, his private library, and his paintings.
American University Museum: This museum is considered the third oldest museum in the Near East, and it displays a number of artifacts dating back to the Stone Age up to the Islamic era.
Other famous museums include: Amin Rihani Museum – Mustafa Farroukh Museum – Cilicia Catholicos Museum and Library – Baalbek Museum – Dahesh Museum of Art – Museum of Lebanese Heritage – Robert Moawad Private Museum – Byblos Museum of Fossils – Sursock Palace – Wax Museum in Byblos – Memory of Time Museum – Soap Museum in Sidon
Religious Tourism:
Lebanon is located at the crossroads of Europe, Asia and Africa, and therefore it is located in the middle of the Arab Islamic and European Christian worlds and thus combines the two religious cultures and fuses them into one cultural melting pot.
This is evident in the ancient Islamic and Christian landmarks that still exist today, in addition to the common customs and traditions between the followers of the two religions, which are still prominent today, although their intensity decreases or increases according to the degree of openness to the West and mixing with followers of the other religion.
Lebanon has been a refuge for many persecuted religious sects through the ages, which added to it an increasing and accumulated religious heritage over many centuries, which was manifested by a number of Christian and Islamic shrines and shrines.
The most prominent Islamic monuments in Lebanon, represented by a number of mosques, libraries, schools and public baths, are located in the town of Anjar, which was founded by the Umayyads in the eighth century, and the cities of Beirut, Tripoli and Sidon.
As for the Christian monuments, most of them are located in Byblos, Jounieh, Beirut, Bkerke, and a number of areas in Mount Lebanon and the South. There are also religious monuments specific to the Druze community, the majority of which are located in the Chouf.
World Heritage Site Tourism:
There are five World Heritage sites in Lebanon ranging from cultural and historical sites (manifested in cities) to natural areas, and these sites are:
Anjar: The town of Anjar was inscribed on the list of World Heritage Sites in 1984. Built 1,300 years ago, it is one of the most recent archaeological sites in Lebanon.
Baalbek: During the Phoenician era, Baalbek was just a small town in which the Trinity of the fertility gods of the Canaanite peoples was worshiped, namely Baal-Amun, Anat and Hadad. Today very few Phoenician ruins remain in the city, which the Greeks called “the city of the sun.”
Byblos: Byblos was included in the list of World Heritage Sites in 1984. It has been inhabited since the Neolithic era. It has witnessed the succession of many peoples and civilizations, from the Phoenicians and Crusaders to the Ottoman Turks.
Byblos is a port and a historical Mediterranean city, its foundation dates back thousands of years, and it is often associated with the Phoenician alphabet, as it is known that the Phoenicians spread their alphabet in Europe and the Mediterranean basin, starting from this city.
Qadisha Valley and the Cedars of God Forest: These two areas were included on the list of World Heritage sites in 1998. Both Wadi Qadisha and the Cedars of God Forest are of great religious and historical importance, as the valley was a site settled by the first Christian monks to escape the oppression of the pagan Romans, so they built monasteries on both sides of it, and they were fortified In the face of everyone who tried to reach there, as the valley is located in a very rugged land in the northern part of the West Lebanon mountain range.
The Cedars of the Lord Forest is located near the valley, and today it has become a nature reserve dedicated to saving what remains of the Lebanese cedar. Its historical importance is evident in that it is the main forest that the Phoenicians cut down timber to build their ships and temples and to trade with the Egyptians and Assyrians.
Tyre: The city of Tire was placed on the list of World Heritage Sites in 1984. This city was one of the most important, if not the most important, Phoenician cities, as its sons established colonies that exceeded the mother city’s fame and glory in the Mediterranean basin, such as Carthage and Cadiz, which is the origin of the purple pigment known as “Purple Pictures”.
Many civilizations passed through the city and many peoples settled there, from the Phoenicians, Greeks and Romans, to the Crusaders and the Ottoman Turks. Today, a number of notable monuments remain in the city, most of which date back to the Roman era.
Lebanese cuisine:
Lebanese cuisine combines the intricate recipes of European cuisine, with the unique ingredients of East Asian and Middle Eastern cuisine. The history of Lebanese cuisine dates back to before the advent of Christianity, although it was not internationally famous, until a relatively short period of time.
The Lebanese cuisine had an important influence on the kitchens of the neighboring Arab countries, other Mediterranean countries and some countries that colonized Lebanon. Lebanese cuisine is now famous all over the world, especially after studies have proven that the diet of the inhabitants of the Mediterranean basin is the most healthy diet for humans.
craft products:
Lebanese handicraft products are distinguished by their beauty and artistic flair, which attracts many tourists who want to keep a souvenir of their trip to the country. Handicraft production is concentrated in Lebanese villages and some towns, where people inherit this skill from generation to generation, and make their products from local raw materials.
Each of the Lebanese regions specializes in a certain type of craft production, such as basket making, carpet weaving, making pottery, pottery, copper, blacksmithing, embroidery, glass making, and gold and silversmithing. Some Lebanese villages also feature ornate church bells.
Ecotourism:
winter sports:
Lebanon is one of the few centers in the Middle East equipped to practice skiing. Although the country is primarily a summer destination, winter tourism is witnessing a noticeable increase, due to the proximity of the mountain to the coast, which allows the visitor to ski and return to Beirut or any other coastal city within only an hour or two.
The ski season starts in December. The major resorts provide their customers with accommodation in winter hotels and chalets, in addition to many facilities including ski equipment.
medical tourism :
Lebanon has become a leading regional center in the health tourism sector in the Middle East, as it possesses all the components of medical tourism with a number of hospitals and equipment. There are 161 hospitals in Lebanon, of which 7 are university hospitals, with 15,000 beds.
Lebanon can offer a wide range of medical specialties to those seeking treatment, including heart disease diagnosis, surgical and therapeutic techniques, and surgical intervention techniques for treating heart diseases, plastic surgery, slimming, cancer, physiotherapy and pediatric diseases.
Education tourism:
Lebanon today includes a number of universities in addition to a number of specialized institutes and schools. The culture in Lebanon in general is manifested in its openness to the cultures of the East and the West, which explains the presence of many international educational institutions in Lebanon. Lebanese universities have returned to attract Arab students to study in them after stopping during the civil war.
As for primary and secondary education, public and private schools are spread throughout Lebanon and provide education in at least two languages.
Among the most important Lebanese universities are: Saint Joseph University, founded by the Jesuit fathers, the American University of Beirut, founded by the American Mission in 1866 AD, and the Lebanese University, which was founded in 1953 and includes 13 faculties, including the faculties of Education, Arts, Law, Science, Engineering and Medicine, and an Institute of Fine Arts, followed by Beirut Arab University.
Which includes the faculties of literature, law, commerce, engineering and medicine.
Recreation:
The length of the Lebanese coast reaches 200 km, and the number of sunny days in the country is about 300, making it a prominent destination for lovers of recreation, activities and the growing marine sports in different parts of the country.
Among the well-known beaches and water parks in Lebanon: Oceana beach resort, Edde Sands, Laguava Resort, Cyan, Paradise Sur Mer (French: Janna sur mer), Green Beach, Bamboo bay, Waves Aquapark, Watergate Aquapark ).
From the beaches of Lebanon:
Amchit Beach
sour beach
Batroun Beach
Chekka Beach
Tberg Beach a
Tourism handicraft products
Lebanese handicraft products are distinguished by their beauty and artistic flair, which attracts many tourists who want to keep a souvenir of their trip to the country. Handicraft production is concentrated in Lebanese villages and some towns, where people inherit this skill from generation to generation, and make their products from local raw materials.
Each of the Lebanese regions specializes in a certain type of craft production, such as basket making, carpet weaving, ceramic, pottery and copper pots making, blacksmithing, embroidery, glass making, and gold and silversmithing. Some Lebanese villages are also distinguished by the manufacture of ornate church bells.
Tourist destinations and festivals
Among the most popular tourist destinations in Lebanon for tourists:
Sidon: It is a city founded about 6,000 years ago, and it was known, and still is in Europe, as “Sidon”. Its famous landmarks include the Sea Castle and the Old City, with its old market, many inns and soap factories.
Faraya Mazar Kfardebian: a major ski site and mountain resort.
Beirut: The capital of Lebanon, which offers tourists the opportunity to enjoy the bustling nightlife or spend time in one of the famous restaurants or cafes on the beach, and visit the city’s architectural and natural landmarks such as Raouche Rock, Mohammed Al-Amin Mosque, and downtown Beirut.
Harissa: It is an area located north of Beirut, in Jounieh, where tourists can take the aerial tram or “cable car” ascending to Mount Harissa to visit the shrine of Our Lady of Lebanon.
Jeita Grotto: It is one of the most beautiful limestone caves in the world.
Beiteddine: It is a town in the Chouf district. It was the capital of the Chehab Emirate of Lebanon and the center of the Mount Lebanon Mutasarrifate. It houses the Beiteddine Palace and where an annual summer festival is held in its name.
Batroun: It is a small town in the north of Lebanon, where the famous Musailha citadel built by the Crusaders is located.
Tripoli: Tripoli is the second largest city in Lebanon and is the second capital after Beirut. The city witnessed the succession of many civilizations, and its most prominent features are the old market, the citadel, and its port, which is one of the oldest ports in the world.
There are a large number of festivals that are held in Lebanon, especially in the summer season, where Lebanese and foreign artists present various paintings in the main archaeological and historical sites, especially in Baalbek, Byblos and Beiteddine. As for Lebanon’s main festivals, they are: Anjar Festivals, Al-Bustan Festival, Baalbek International Festivals, Beiteddine Festivals, Byblos International Festivals, Deir El Qamar Festivals, and Tyre Festivals.
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