The tourist resorts in South Lebanon are faltering during the summer season, as tourists have not traveled to the area from abroad. The resorts are confining their activities to domestic tourism due to the continued Israeli raids on the area since the war on the Gaza Strip began on October 7, 2023.

“Now we are receiving visitors, but the current conditions do not encourage people to come to the area. Some are coming, however. We are 20 kilometers away from Naqoura, on the border,” said Bilal Jezzini, the director of a tourist resort between Tyre and Naqoura.

“I hope this situation does not last for long. The resort is a source of income for about 70 families, which is not a small number. In the meantime, the costs are high. We have carried the financial burden since November 2023, including employee salaries, electricity, water and municipality fees. Expenses are very high, while revenue is zero,” he explained.

As managers of the resorts are hesitant about opening for visitors, the seasonal workers who used to work in the sector are now facing the spectre of unemployment.

Aly Hallawy, who works in tourism each summer, said that the workers used to wait for the summertime in the tourist resorts in Naqoura, but they are not open this year.

“We are not sure whether they will open or not, because of the war. I am searching for a job, and hope to get one. The country has been damaged by the war,” he added.

Revenues from tourism make up nearly 40% of Lebanon’s gross domestic product (GDP), but the losses to the tourist sector have amounted to more than $150 million since the outbreak of the war on Gaza and the subsequent escalation in South Lebanon.

Israeli Raids on South Lebanon Cause Severe Damage to Tourism

As tensions flare in southern Lebanon, with cross-border shelling between Hezbollah and Israel a near-daily occurrence since the war erupted in the Gaza Strip more than seven months ago, owners of beach camps in the city of Tyre have not lost hope for a good tourist season this summer.

Like every year, dozens of workers were busy pitching camps for summer vacationers. They said that the situation in coastal areas was calm, and  that nothing should make visitors, either from within Lebanon or from abroad, concerned.

Amal Ouazni, a beach camp owner, said that life never stops in Tyre.  
“As locals of Tyre, we love life and its joys. Nothing can stop us. Despite the circumstances, we decided today to start our summer activities, since we know for sure that we will receive visitors from Tyre and elsewhere in Lebanon,” she explained.

Ghaly Safiyeldin, another beach camp owner, said, “This is our work, bread and land. It is true that the security condition is poor, but we will resist it, so that the whole world can see that we are here, and that we are not going to give up our lands or homeland.”

“We are working under very tough security conditions. We do not know how things will end up,” he added.

Salah Sabrawy, the Deputy Chief of Tyre municipality, said that the sea season for Tyre’s city, people and municipality is very important.

“We used to receive more than 700,000 visitors during the summer season every year, and not only for swimming. Their visits were an important part of the city’s economic cycle,” he asserted.

The border areas between southern Lebanon and northern Israel have witnessed exchanges of shells between the Israeli forces and Hezbollah since the Israeli war broke out on the Gaza Strip in October, 2023.

Lebanon’s Tyre Beach Ready for Summer Season Despite Border Tension with Israel

The Hatra festival in the northern Iraqi province of Nineveh is shedding light on a civilization whose ancient artifacts were destroyed and neglected during the war against Daesh, who wreaked havoc on the large swathes of Iraqi territory they controlled.

Faris Abdel-Sattar, an engineer at the Nineveh Antiquities Department, said the Hatra Kingdom, or the Kingdom of the Sun, is one of the most ancient.

“This site was on the UNESCO permanent heritage list, but after it was subjected to heavy damage during Daesh control of the city, it was placed on the list of world heritage in danger,” he explained.  
Hadar city is 120 kilometers southwest of Mosul. The Hatra festival aims to highlight the archeological sites in the province and their aesthetic features.

The event attracted a large number of visitors of all ages, including school students and teachers.  
Ala’ Abdel-Aziz, a teacher who escorted her female students to the festival, urged all schools to visit the archeological sites for their great educational value.

Iraqi artist Jum’a Khorshid attended the ‘Revival of the Spirit of Hadar’ event, calling on the central government or the local administration to restore the antiquities and open the site for tourists and visitors.

The archeological site of Al-Hadar was opened for the festival for the first time since Daesh’s control over the province ended seven years ago. It is still classified as a heritage site in danger by UNESCO.

Hatra Festival in Iraq’s Nineveh Sheds Light on Jeopardized Monuments

Egypt is hosting a two-day international conference on health tourism under the slogan ‘The Echo of the Past is Renewed Today’ with the participation of a host of Egyptian and foreign experts.

Through the event, Egypt aims to significantly increase the number of tourists to the country by achieving a major leap in the field of health tourism and establishing itself as the leading destination for this type of tourism in Africa and the Middle East.

Egyptian Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly delivered a speech describing his country’s significant steps to improve the health and therapeutic tourism infrastructure, emphasising the potential for further measures to turn Egypt into a global hub for this sector.

Egypt views the gathering as an opportunity to expand strategic partnerships and international agreements in the field of health tourism in the future.

Major General Khaled Fouda, the South Sinai Governor, stated that the President’s instructions were to consult foreign experts with experience in the field.

He added, “Many countries and companies are with us today at this conference. We have experts from Britain, the United States, Japan and Lebanon. We have gathered experts who will enrich this event.

Recommendations will be made at the end of the conference which we hope will benefit the state.”  
Egypt boasts many sites and destinations for health tourism, including sulfur water springs which are believed to help cure many diseases.

During the conference, it was announced that the first health tourism resort in Egypt would be implemented in the area of al-Saff in Giza governorate, with investments of up to 1.5 billion Egyptian pounds.

Mohamed Karara, Director of the Maxim Group, which is responsible for the al-Saff Health Tourism project, said that the project, as announced by the Prime Minister, was the first to be signed in this field, and that construction was already underway in al-Saff, about one hour away from Cairo Airport.

He explained, “One of the main reasons for selecting this area is that it is far from environmental pollution. It overlooks the River Nile and is green and boasts several factors that will help the project succeed.”

Egypt aims to achieve annual growth in the number of tourists ranging between 25% and 30%, reaching 30 million tourists by 2028. It considers this a step towards ensuring a fair share of global tourism, according to the Ministry of Tourism.

Egypt Holds International Conference to Promote Health Tourism

People from the Somali capital of Mogadishu are flocking to the beaches of the Indian Ocean, taking advantage of the good weather and improved security conditions in a country that has lacked stability for over three decades.

Lido Beach, in the northern part of Mogadishu and torn apart by explosions and violence for years, has been serving as an outlet for citizens, with the violence subsiding in recent times.

Abdel-Qadir Abdullah, a Somali citizen who took his family to spend some time on the beach, said things are improving as the fluidity of movement is now easier following the removal of many security checkpoints.

He said, “This is completely different from the previous period, when the capital city witnessed violence and explosions. Now you can see people and life on the streets. Thank God, the city is witnessing great development.”

Water sports and boat rides are returning to Somali shores; activities which were absent for decades. Additionally, there are women selling tea to beach-goers in search of a livelihood.

The armed movement Al-Shabaab posed a threat to successive governments in Somalia for the past 20 years, launching attacks since taking arms against the authorities in the Horn of Africa country in 2006.

Mogadishu Families Hit the Beach as Security Improves in Somalia

Ministers of tourism of the Gulf states, during their recent meeting in the Sultanate of Oman, discussed procedures of enforcing a unified Gulf strategy approved last year in the Saudi province of al-Ula.

In a speech during a meeting hosted by the Oman Across Ages Museum in the Omani town of Manah, Jasem Mohamed al-Budaiwi, Secretary-General of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), said tourism is one of the most important promising socio-economic sectors for the GCC states’ march towards diversifying the resources of income and achieving sustainable development.

“The total number of visitors of the GCC states reached 39.8 million in 2022, with a growth rate of 136% compared to the previous year. Spending of tourists of GCC countries hit $85.9 billion at a growth rate of 101% compared to 2021. Intra-tourism of GCC international tourists reached 29% at a growth rate of nearly 100% compared to 2021,” explained Budaiwi.

For his part, Ahmed Al-Khateeb, Saudi Minister of Tourism, underlined the importance of the Gulf region for global tourism, stressing the need to implement the Gulf tourism strategy items.

“The Gulf is a very important region for global tourism as it boasts diverse culture, atmosphere, history, geography and other highly-competitive privileges. During the previous al-Ula meeting, we launched the Gulf tourism strategy. Today, we have reviewed its initiatives and made sure they were being implemented,” he added.

“The region is advancing. With joint work and permanent coordination, we will get our normal share of the global traveling market,” he noted.

The Sultanate of Oman, which presided over the meeting, called for enhancing cooperation and integration among GCC states to push forward tourist development to the good of national economies.

“There is agreement over a number of tracks that have been discussed and unanimously endorsed. It is clear that there is commitment and a desire to push this cooperation forward in the field of tourism,” Said Salem bin Mohammed Al Mahrooqi, Omani Minister of Heritage and Tourism.

The meeting handled a host of topics, including works of the joint Gulf team for the implementation of the Gulf tourism strategy, the general framework of the Tourism Statistics Platform in the GCC Countries and the unified Gulf tourism visa.

The meeting also recommended the endorsement of the 2023-2030 Gulf Tourism Strategy initiatives.

Gulf Tourism Ministers Mull Unified Strategy

In an attempt to revitalise tourism and overcome the repercussions of the recent earthquake that caused widespread damage across the country, a group of young Moroccans in the city of Dakhla in Western Sahara have launched various projects that combine tourism with culture.

Sahraoui Village is one of these projects, consists of large tents set up on the outskirts of the city that simulate the traditional lifestyle in the desert.

Project owner Dahi el-Khattat says, "Sahraoui Village is a new type of recent project in the Dakhla-Oued Ed-Dahab region, because the well-known tourist product in the region is water sports. Recently, we have had parallel projects which focus on culture and heritage."

Founded in 2019, the project provides tourists with an opportunity to live and experience desert customs and traditions, as well as the most famous local dishes and drinks.

Bi Moor, a Senegalese worker at the project, says, "Here we welcome visitors and organise traditional evenings. We offer traditional dishes such as rice with fish, rice with meat, Saharan tea ceremonies, desert singing evenings, Saharan clothing, and we also organise external tours as well as welcoming guests to stay."

Visitors who frequent Sahraoui Village say that it is a space that adheres to desert traditions while offering them the opportunity for respite from busy daily routines and the hustle and bustle of large, crowded cities.

Sahraoui Village visitor, Ezzahra Haidah, says, "These projects are a breath of fresh air that breaks the routine of home and respects our desert traditions. We find comfort in them, including the traditional tents. This is one of the largest projects in the region and is characterised by spacious and well-equipped tents, and it has all services such as water, tea, and a gathering place. It is a project and a place that provides a change to the atmosphere of the city, work, and daily routine."

Figures show that tourism contributes around 7% of Morocco’s GDP.

The country is seeking to overcome the effects of the earthquake that struck the centre of the country just over a month ago, killing thousands of people and causing losses estimated at 10 billion U.S. dollars.

Young Moroccans Launch Projects to Promote Tourism in Dakhla, Western Sahara

Investors and residents in Gaza are finding a saving grace in its beaches as a place of respite and a rare investment opportunity amid the economic siege imposed on the strip by Israel.

Official figures report a 20% increase in investments in resort construction in Gaza over the past five years, bringing the total number of tourist establishments to 670, despite the relatively narrow geographical area.

While Gaza investors do not have many options to operate their capital, they prefer to turn to the establishment of resorts that are popular with the public during times of calm in the Gaza Strip, which witnesses periodical tensions with Israel.

"All the tourist facilities that are currently being built make Gaza more beautiful," said Ahmad Suhail, an investor who contributed to establishing a tourist resort in Gaza.

"Expatriates who come from abroad for the first time in years are amazed by the beauty of the resorts and tourist destinations in the Gaza Strip," he added.

"All of this conveys to the world that Gaza is not just about war and destruction, but that there is a beautiful side, these beautiful places, the nature of the people, and the generosity that we have among the people of Gaza."

According to Eyad Hamatto, one of the guests at the resort, Palestinians "suffer from hardship, blockades, and the threat of war."

He says that frequenting tourist resorts in Gaza provides a breathing space "where we can find comfort in light of the situation, we are currently living in." 

"We are currently living in an atmosphere of fear and anxiety prevail about what is to come amid Israeli threats to the Gaza Strip."

Gaza’s Beaches: A Haven for Investors and Respite for Residents Amid Ongoing Israeli Blockade 

Cafés built on high hills have become a top favorite outing for the Jordanians in the latest demonstration of defiance of hot weather in Amman.

Al-Matallat, or cafés built on high places, which have become in vogue these days, provide convenient spaces and comfortable serene sitting away from the noisy hustle and bustle of the city.

Owners of those cafés and kiosks had opted to set up their businesses on the outskirts of the city center in order to lure calm-searching customers.

The cafés have become a nice destination for Jordanians during the summer season, when schools are closed and expatriates are home for vacationing, as outdoor places in the heart of the cities are few and if they are available would charge too much for services.

The local authorities in Amman had clamped down many of these cafés and kiosks ad forced their owners to shut them down and imposed financial penalties on others on the grounds that their businesses were unlicensed.

The latest measures have harmed many Jordanians who had these projects as a good source of income.

Hill Cafés Are Jordanians’ Latest Favorite Outing in Sweltering Hot Summer

Morocco began to reap the fruits of its electronic visa system for the citizens of a number of countries as the foreign ministry announced it has released 150,000 e-visas within a year since the new system was first launched.

In July 2022, Morocco announced approving an e-visa for certain nationalities, including Israel, India, Jordan and Thailand, which helped luring tourists from new markets and promote the kingdom as a standout tourist destination.

Ashfar, an Indian tourist, admired the easy and quick procedures, which encouraged him to travel from Dubai, the United Arab Emirates, to the Moroccan capital Rabat smoothly.

“I am from India. I live in Dubai. I applied for a visa with the Moroccan embassy on its electronic website. It was so easy. I obtained the visa so quickly. I only sent the required documents online. That was so smooth,” he said.

The e-visa extends to 180 days from the date of issuance. It allows tourists to stay for up to one month maximum.

The Moroccan foreign ministry announced that 96.6% of the e-visas have been issued for tourists since the beginning of the new system while 3.4% were issued for businessmen.

The step helped promote the tourism sector to overcome the negative impact of the novel coronavirus and market Morocco as a destination for both tourism and business.

David, an American tourist who came from Atlanta, Georgia, the United States, said he was glad with his first trip to Morocco, where he visited several cities in the North African kingdom.  
“This is the first time for me to visit Morocco. I already visited Marrakech and the Sahara with all their beautiful temperature, camels and sands. We enjoyed camping deep in the desert, where we watched the sunrise and sunset,” he said.

“It was a wonderful experience. I also visited Fez. Now I am in Rabat, a clean city and the people are nice. I will visit Casablanca and then back to Marrakech and from there I will fly back to the United States,” David noted.

Israelis were the top beneficiaries from Morocco’s e-visa system. They made up to 55% of the foreign visitors to Morocco, while Indians 10%, Egyptians 4.41% and Jordanians 2.7%, according to the Moroccan foreign ministry data.

Morocco’s E-Visa Pays Off One Year after Launch

The General Cars Syndicate in Medina, Saudi Arabia, announced a plan for the transport of pilgrims on fleets of buses via the Makkah Route initiative.

Arab World Press

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Tourism

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Lebanon’s Tyre Beach Ready for Summer Season Despite Border Tension with Israel

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Hatra Festival in Iraq’s Nineveh Sheds Light on Jeopardized Monuments

Egypt

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Mogadishu Families Hit the Beach as Security Improves in Somalia

OMAN

Gulf Tourism Ministers Mull Unified Strategy

MOROCCO

Young Moroccans Launch Projects to Promote Tourism in Dakhla, Western Sahara

Gaza Strip

Gaza’s Beaches: A Haven for Investors and Respite for Residents Amid Ongoing Israeli Blockade

Jordan

Hill Cafés Are Jordanians’ Latest Favorite Outing in Sweltering Hot Summer

Morocco

Morocco’s E-Visa Pays Off One Year after Launch

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