In a press conference held at the ministry of tourism and in the presence of Byblos MPs, Minister Avedis Guidanian, launched yesterday the 9th edition of the Ehmej Touristic Festivals. During the ceremony, Ehmej mayor, Nazih Abu Semaan, lamented the policy of austerity by the government, citing challenges that faced the festivals over the past 8 years until now. Jbeil deputies, for their part, thanked the municipality for its continuous efforts to organize the festival, notwithstanding the currently dire economic situation, noting that the Ehmej Festival has landed on the internal tourism map. Likewise, Guidanian pointed out that festivals constitute the backbone of domestic tourism, hoping his expectations of a promising summer season will come true. Recalling, that the Ehmej Festival will take place this year from August 15 to 18, with the participation of Lebanese stars. (Al Diyar, June 20, 2019)