DIYAFA website to promote rural tourism and women employment

In cooperation with the US Agency for International Development, (USAID), the Ministry of Tourism launched on February 16th the new DIYAFA electronic portal (http://diyafa.org) for the promotion of guesthouses across Lebanon. The website which enlists around 30 hostels with some 181 guest rooms aims to facilitate the access to lodging houses throughout the Lebanese territory, providing online booking that suits a wide range of family budgets. The project comes as part of a rural tourism strategy initiated by the Ministry in 2014 to develop the marketing of rural attractions, and to increase consumers' awareness towards these destinations, products and services, both locally and abroad. The significance of the event, according to Kanj Hamadeh, from the USAID funded Lebanon Industry Value Chain Development Program (LICVDP), is that it supports the steadfastness of women in their villages, creates jobs and revives the Lebanese regions. In a special feature on the subject, L’Orient Le Jour daily newspaper noted that demand on such services has remarkably grown. In an interview with the founder and manager of ‘Bayt Louban’, Orphee Haddad, the newspaper pointed out to an increase by nearly half in the number of guesthouses over the course of three years, and to a higher occupancy rate in medium priced hotels, such as, Taanayel Ecolodge located in the Beqaa region which witnessed a 79% rise in the number of guests between 2014 and 2015, (noting that the average price per night and for two persons is approximately USD100). However, the newspaper called attention to the absence of official control of these guesthouses as the legislation regulating this industry has yet to be implemented. (L’Orient Le Jour, February 23, 2016)