Data Visualization

Blog of the Data Visualization & Communication Course at OSB-AUB

“This is my favorite part about analytics: Taking boring flat data and bringing it to life through visualization” John Tukey

Lebanon’s tourism potential is high, but a lot of it remains unsupported

Lebanon’s tourism potential is high, but a lot of it remains unsupported

by | Nov 20, 2025 | Uncategorized

Lebanon’s landscape is full of cultural, historical, and natural assets, yet tourism development across the country remains uneven. Using the UNDP Tourism Readiness dataset (1,136 towns across 25 districts), this analysis uncovers where Lebanon’s hidden tourism opportunities are and which regions lack the infrastructure to support them.

Tourism Potential Exists, But Not All Towns Are Developed

To understand tourism readiness, every town can be classified into one of four groups:

  • Developed Potential: Towns with both potential and infrastructure
  • Untapped Potential: Towns with potential but no infrastructure
  • Infrastructure Only: Towns with infrastructure but no identified potential
  • Low Potential: Towns with neither

Right away, a key insight emerges:

A considerable number of Lebanese towns have meaningful tourism potential but lack the infrastructure required to activate it.

This simple breakdown highlights that tourism potential is widespread across the country, but not always supported by visitor services such as guest houses, cafés, or restaurants.

Some areas have much larger gaps than others

When looking at infrastructure gaps by area, the differences become clearer. Some districts have potential but very little tourism infrastructure to go with it.

In particular,

  • Beqaa
  • Hermel
  • Marjeyoun

show some of the highest gap rates. These places have attractions and natural assets, but not enough facilities to support tourism activity. Meanwhile, districts like Mount Lebanon and Byblos are more developed and have infrastructure that aligns better with their tourism activity.

This chart makes it easier to see which areas are lagging behind and where new investment could make a real difference.

What this means for tourism planning

  • Putting the insights together, a simple pattern appears:
  • Many towns across Lebanon do have tourism potential
  • But a noticeable share of them don’t have the infrastructure to support visitors
  • The largest gaps show up in specific districts, not everywhere
  • Improving basic services in these places could unlock new opportunities

Instead of focusing only on areas that are already popular, these findings suggest that Lebanon has several underdeveloped regions that could become strong tourism spots if they receive proper attention.

Conclusion

Lebanon already has the natural and cultural foundations for tourism. The challenge isn’t a lack of potential, it’s the uneven distribution of infrastructure.

By identifying where the gaps are, the data gives a clear starting point for planners, municipalities, and anyone interested in local development. Investing in infrastructure in high-potential but underserved towns could help bring more balance to Lebanon’s tourism map and open opportunities in regions that are currently overlooked.

Finding the Goldmine: The Hidden Opportunity in Tourism Data

Finding the Goldmine: The Hidden Opportunity in Tourism Data

by | Nov 17, 2025 | Dashboard, Visualization

In the high-stakes world of real estate and tourism investment, there is a prevailing feeling that the map has already been drawn. We are constantly told that the “smart money” has already moved, that the best locations are taken, and that finding a new opportunity means fighting for scraps in saturated markets. When we look at the industry, we usually see two things: expensive, crowded success stories, or underdeveloped ghost towns that no one wants to visit.

But sometimes, if you look at the data differently, the map changes.

In this visualization, I analyzed the relationship between two critical factors: the Tourism Index (the raw, magnetic appeal of a destination, from natural wonders to historical sites) and Available Hospitality Infrastructure (the actual supply of hotels, restaurants, and services).

At first glance, the sea of blue dots confirms the traditional idea. The data follows a predictable, efficient path. In the top right, you see the famous destinations: high appeal matched by high infrastructure. These are successful, but they are also a dangerous gamble; expensive to enter and fiercely competitive. In the bottom left, you see the opposite: low appeal and low infrastructure. No surprise there.

But as you scan the bottom right of the chart, the pattern fractures.

This is where the red dots appear, and they tell a completely different story. These data points represent towns with a Tourism Index of 9 or 10, world-class destinations that tourists are desperate to visit. Yet, their infrastructure bars are effectively at zero.

This gap represents a massive market failure, and for an investor, a market failure is a goldmine.

These aren’t towns that need marketing; they are towns that need capacity. The demand is already there, waiting for someone to unlock it. By ignoring the crowded top-right corner and focusing on this specific cluster, investors can bypass competition entirely. Building here means you aren’t just another hotel in a crowded city; you are the hotel in a destination people are already fighting to see.

Big Idea

The data reveals a rare and profitable anomaly: a specific cluster of towns with world-class tourist demand but near-zero infrastructure. Investors should pivot away from saturated markets and target these “red dot” locations to secure a first-mover advantage in destinations where demand drastically outstrips supply.