Title: Lebanon and tourism: coastal encroachment: case of Byblos beaches

Authors: Ribal Rizk; Raffi Der Vartanian

Addresses: Al Kafaat University, Ain Saadeh, Beirut, Lebanon ' Al Kafaat University, Ain Saadeh, Beirut, Lebanon

Abstract: Lebanon is well known for its coastal tourism. Having coasts over 220 m all along the Mediterranean Sea made the country an attractive destination for tourists from all around the world. However, several factors had affected the Lebanese coastal tourism. This article is targeted towards the Lebanese Government and its attitude. In addition, it aims to shed light on encroachments carried out by some touristic property 'owners' on the Lebanese coast. Furthermore; this article will study the link between these encroachments and the Lebanese Government's centralised structure, lack of tourism planning or 'Boosterism' and corruption. Particularly Byblos city was selected for fieldwork. After data collection and analysis, a conclusion was drawn regarding these encroachments. New ideas were raised, such as coastal tourism management, empowerment of municipalities and governance principals as a way out.

Keywords: coastal tourism; encroachments; centralisation; corruption; boosterism; Byblos, Lebanon; public and private sectors; tourism planning; government.

DOI: 10.1504/EMJM.2018.096449

EuroMed Journal of Management, 2018 Vol.2 No.4, pp.315 - 328

Received: 28 Jun 2018
Accepted: 28 Jun 2018
Published online: 03 Dec 2018 *

Full-text access for editors Full-text access for subscribers Purchase this article Comment on this article