When Tom, a first-time tourist, arrived in Lebanon, he prepared a long list of places he wanted to explore: Beirut for its vibrant nights, Batroun for its beaches, The Cedars in the North for hiking and natural beauty… But as he planned his trip, something stood out: Mount Lebanon barely made it onto his itinerary.

Tom is not the only one. Many tourists overlook Mount Lebanon even though it contains some of the most visited and populated towns in the country.

This led to an important question: If Mount Lebanon has so much to offer, why isn’t it a tourist favorite? 

1. Mount Lebanon has the most to offer.. on paper:

Mount Lebanon is home to:

• The largest number of towns in Lebanon (381 towns)
• The highest number of cafes, restaurants, hotels and guesthouses
• Many natural and cultural attractions that are spread out throughout its towns.

As the below map shows, 25% of towns in Mount Lebanon have at least one attraction.

So one would naturally expect that Mount Lebanon is one of Lebanon’s top tourism destinations.

     2. Despite These Advantages, Mount Lebanon Underperforms

Mount Lebanon’s median index is below the national median, meaning half of its towns score 1 or less on the tourism index.

     3. Access and Public Spaces Matter More Than Attraction Count

To better understand what drivers tourism performance, I examined how infrastructure quality relates to tourism.

In the below graph, the pattern becomes clear: Good Roads and Good Public Spaces Lead to the Highest Tourism Levels

Towns with:

• Good roads + good parks -> highest tourism indices (~4.9)
• Bad roads + poor parks  -> lowest tourism indices (~1.3)

This suggests that tourism thrives when attractions are easy to reach, and public spaces are well maintained.

So now if we focus back on Mount Lebanon, we can see that:

• Many towns have bad or unknown road conditions
• Public parks are often missing or poorly maintained (these are the towns scoring above 5 on the tourism index)

This confirms that Mount Lebanon’s low tourism index is driven by poor infrastructure, not a lack of attractions.

    4. Conclusion: Improving Tourism Starts With Improving Access

Mount Lebanon already has the attractions it needs. What it’s missing is the infrastructure that allows visitors to reach them easily and enjoy them fully.

    5. Recommendations

To unlock its true tourism potential, Mount Lebanon should focus on:

• • Prioritizing road and park restoration in Mount Lebanon’s key touristic towns
  • Investing in accessibility and maintenance rather than only promoting attractions

If these things improve, Mount Lebanon won’t be an afterthought anymore. It will become a place Tom and countless other visitors choose to explore.

Big Idea:

Tourism performs best where attractions are supported by good infrastructure.
If Mount Lebanon wants to improve their tourism index, they should not only depend on having interesting places to visit but also invest in their infrastructure quality, as tourism thrives when attractions are easily accessible, which enhances the overall visitor experience.