Which towns in Lebanon are actually prepared to support tourism and what does their infrastructure reveal about the country’s tourism landscape?
Introduction
Tourism in Lebanon is often celebrated for its beautiful landscapes, cultural heritage, and vibrant towns. But behind these well known attractions lie a more practical question: which towns are actually equipped to support tourism on a daily basis? To explore this, I created a dashboard comparing Lebanese towns based on the number of restaurants and cafes, the number of hotels, and an overall Tourism Score that ranks towns according to their tourism readiness. Instead of relying on impressions or reputation, the data reveals how tourism infrastructure is truly distributed across the country. The results highlight unexpected leaders, surprising gaps, and a clearer understanding of which towns are prepared to welcome visitors and which ones still lack the necessary services.
Key Insights from the Dashboard
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Only a few towns offer a complete tourism ecosystem
The scatterplot shows that just a small number of towns have both high numbers of restaurants and cafes and multiple hotels. Towns such as Zgharta–Ehden, Bcharreh, and Bqerqacha stand out because they have a balanced mix of services that can support both short-term and overnight visitors. -
Ghobairi and Mina show strong activity but limited overnight capacity
On the far right of the scatterplot, Ghobairi and Mina appear with very high numbers of restaurants and cafes but almost no hotels. This suggests strong commercial and visitor activity but mainly in the form of day visits rather than extended stays. Their dense hospitality presence raises their tourism scores even though accommodations are limited. -
The Tourism Score reveals unexpected top-ranking towns
The Tourism Score bar chart shows that the towns with the highest tourism potential are not always the ones typically associated with tourism. Ghobairi ranks first with a score of 177, followed by Haret Hreik and Mina. Meanwhile, popular tourist towns such as Zahle, Jbeil, and Zgharta–Ehden perform well but do not lead the ranking. This shows that infrastructure, more than reputation, determines tourism readiness. -
Most towns have very limited tourism infrastructure
A large cluster of points near the origin of the scatterplot shows that most Lebanese towns have fewer than 10 restaurants and almost no hotels. These towns may rely on nearby hubs or seasonal tourism, but they lack the facilities needed to attract or accommodate visitors consistently. -
Urban density influences tourism scores more than geography
The data suggests that high-scoring towns tend to be commercially dense and urbanized rather than simply scenic or historic. This highlights the importance of services such as dining and accommodation options as the real foundation of tourism potential.
Conclusion
The dashboard reveals that tourism activity in Lebanon is unevenly distributed. A small number of towns dominate because they offer the right mix of infrastructure, while many others, despite natural or cultural advantages, lack the essential services needed to support consistent tourism. These findings point to two opportunities. First, towns rich in natural or cultural attractions but lacking infrastructure could benefit from targeted development. Second, high-scoring, service-dense towns can act as anchors for broader regional tourism strategies. Understanding these patterns through data helps support more balanced tourism development across the country and encourages investment where it can make the most meaningful impact.