Tourism minister Avedis Guidanian in collaboration with USAID director in Lebanon, Anne Patterson, inaugurated the Travel Lebanon exhibition held concurrently with the Garden Show & Spring Festival at Beirut Hippodrome (https://goo.gl/JYWqqf). On the occasion, Guidanian said the exhibition is an opportunity to launch Lebanon’s tourism season, noting that rural tourism allows residents and tourists to enjoy the splendor of the country while supporting its local economy. To note, Travel Lebanon is organized by Hospitality Services for the fifth consecutive year, with the support of the Lebanon Industry Value Chain Development (LIVCD) project funded by USAID, in cooperation with the Lebanese ministry of tourism. More than 50 partner tour operators in the rural tourism sector partook in the 4-day event with the aim to promote rural landmarks and destinations, guesthouses and related services and activities. In addition, 18 associations and NGOs provided new promotional publications completed as part of a USAID grant. (Al Diyar, June 3, 2018)