Country guesthouses an added touristic value for Lebanon

Al Akhbar daily published a feature article yesterday highlighting the widespread phenomenon of guesthouses across Lebanon. The newspaper spoke to the manager of ‘Diyafa’ network of countryside ecological lodgings, Maysoon Korban, who explained that these small hotels accommodate less than 10 vintage  rooms, allowing guests to share the social life of their hosts and to familiarise with the traditional dishes and daily customs of the town’s inhabitants. On the same subject, the president of the Youth and Local Committees Department at the Ministry of Tourism, Petra Obeid, pointed out that rural tourism has kicked off over 20 years ago and currently presents an added value to the country. Obeid underlined the importance of this sector as a job generating industry that gives local communities the opportunity to increase and diversify their income. It also contributes to the boosting of rural economies and to the empowerment of local communities, as well as to enhancement of the social integration process, particularly for women. In this respect, Obeid maintained, it gives women the chance to take part in local social and economic life through the provision of food and guest hosting inside their homes, and even to sell locally-made products. On the other hand, Korban noted, that these guesthouses have yet to reach the level of securing a steady income that makes business owners self-sufficient. (For full article, please visit: http://www.al-akhbar.com/node/254704). (Al Akhbar, March 23, 2016)