The Syndicate of Owners of Restaurants, Cafes, Night-Clubs & Pastries in Lebanon in partnership with Hospitality Services and with support from the ministry, organized from September 29 to October 1, the second edition of the Beirut Restaurants Festival, at the famous Mar Mikhael train station. The event gathered over 60 eateries serving local and international food, while the organizers expected the number of visitors to exceed 15 thousand people. During the opening ceremony, the minister of tourism, Avedis Guidanian, stressed on the role of similar specialized events in attracting tourists to Lebanon, namely Europeans, to be within the touristic road map the ministry is trying to develop. For his part, the president of the restaurants owners syndicates, Toni Ramy, said the festival reflected the restaurants cultural image and places Lebanon on the global tourist map. (Al Diyar, September 30, 2017)