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.
Elsie is a young girl living in a small village in the Baalbak-Hermel Governorate. Every morning, she wakes up before dawn, brushes her teeth, gets dressed and packs her school bag. However, her journey to school is not like that of other children across Lebanon.
The roads Elsie travels on are cracked, uneven, and often flooded in winter. Can you imagine? Cold weather and muddy shoes?
For her, education feels like a distant dream, not because of lack of ambition, but because of the poor quality of the roads that connect her to opportunity.
This is not just Elsie’s story, it is the story of an entire governorate.
Poor infrastructure of roads leads to:
Town isolation: Travel becomes difficult and inconvenient whether on foot or by car.
Unsafe: Roads are not prepared for harsh weather, making them susceptible to flooding and destruction.
Unreliable: Poorly made roads will have any cracks, holes and bumps. Placing the car & those inside it in danger, if one is not already familiar with the road.
Among all Lebanese regions, Baalbak-Hermel governorate has the lowest number of good road quality. The lack of infrastructure is not just inconvenient, but a barrier to growth, dignity, and equality.
But here lies the opportunity: with targeted funding, we can transform these roads into opportunities. Where better road quality means:
Students like Elsie arrive safely and on time to their schools.
Emergency services reach families when they need them most.
Businesses see Baalbak‑Hermel not as a forgotten corner, but as a region ready for investment.
This is not just about asphalt and concrete, it is about justice. Every Lebanese governorate deserves equal access to safe, reliable roads. By investing in Baalbak‑Hermel, we are not only repairing infrastructure; we are repairing trust, opportunity, and hope.
The digital environment in Lebanon is now as important as the physical one. Whether it’s students attending online classes, businesses relying on cloud tools, or families staying connected, internet access today is a basic necessity and not a luxury.
However, just like Lebanon’s infrastructure, internet access is not equal throughout districts. Some regions enjoy strong, stable connections, while others lag far behind, struggling with unreliable or limited access.
In order to determine which districts in Lebanon are underserved and which are setting the standard for digital access, this visualization examines the availability of internet services throughout the country.
Scatter Plot – Internet Availability by District : This scatter plot demonstrates each district’s percentage of available internet, with respect to the national average line. Blue dots reflect districts above average availability and districts with below-average availability are shown by red dots. This makes it easier for us to quickly determine who is leading and who is having difficulty.
Heatmap – Full Breakdown of Internet Status : The distribution of each district is shown on the heatmap across (Not Available, Partially Available, Available). This provides a broader perspective, showing not just the amount of internet that is available but also the amount that is unstable or unavailable.
The two images together provide a complete picture of the digital divide in Lebanon.
Key Insights
Zahle and Matn Lead the Country Districts like Zahle, Matn, Sidon, and Baabda show the highest levels of internet availability, reaching 68 – 72%.
This indicates that these regions are Lebanon’s most digitally accessible areas where there’s a crucial advantage for education, business, and services.
A Significant Gap in Underserved Districts Districts like Hermel, Baalbek, Byblos, Marjeyoun fall well below the national average with availability rates around 20 – 33%. Which indicates that these areas still face major barriers to connectivity that is affecting economic activity, education, and access to online services.
Partially Available is completely the opposite of Reliable The percentage of “Partially Available” internet is unexpectedly high in a few of districts.
This indicates that although the service is available, it is unstable or inconsistent, resulting in another kind of inequality where people have access to it but it isn’t reliable enough for everyday needs.
Why This Matters
Internet access is now tied to:
Educational opportunities
Business growth
Access to digital government services
Healthcare communication
Social inclusion
Regions with poor connectivity risk falling further behind which will increase the gap in economic and social inequalities. Internet infrastructure directly shapes a region’s ability to participate in the digital economy.
A Call for Digital Equity Lebanon needs fair internet, not just faster internet. This visualization highlights where investment is most needed. Increasing internet accessibility in poorer regions can benefit students, small enterprises, open doors, and reduce regional disparity.
In the world of investment, it often feels like all the obvious opportunities are taken. We’re all looking for that next smart investment, the next area for growth, but the map looks crowded. The “obvious” winners are saturated, and the undeveloped areas seem to lack potential.
But what if we’ve been looking at the map all wrong?
I’ve been analyzing the tourism landscape, and the data tells a fascinating story. At first glance, it shows exactly what you’d expect.
Take a look at this chart. It plots the “Tourism Index” (think of this as the raw appeal of a town its beaches, history, or natural wonders) against its “Available Hospitality Infrastructure” (the hotels, restaurants etc..).
For the most part, the data points fall into predictable patterns. In the top right, you have the “obvious” winners: towns with high appeal and high infrastructure. They are successful, but they are also saturated markets, expensive to enter. In the bottom left, you have towns with low appeal and no infrastructure. No surprise, and no real opportunity.
This is the world as we see it today. But if you look closer, an exception appears, a powerful imbalance.
Do you see that cluster of red dots? That’s the real story.
These are towns with a world-class Tourism Index, scoring a 9 or 10 out of 10. The market has confirmed that people want to go to these places just as much as the most popular destinations on the chart.
But now, look at their infrastructure score. They aren’t high at all. They’re sitting at the floor.
This is the conflict in our story. This is the gap. We have towns with proven, high-value appeal but virtually no hotels, no quality restaurants, and no services for the tourists who want to be there.
This isn’t a problem. It’s a goldmine.
While everyone else is fighting for scraps in those crowded blue markets, we have a clear, data-driven signal pointing to an untapped market. This is our “what could be.”
Imagine being the first to build a quality hotel in a town that already has a “perfect 10” appeal. You’re not just hoping for demand; you’re meeting it. You’re not just competing; you’re creating the market.
These red dots aren’t just data points; they are invitations. They represent jobs we can create, local economies we can grow, and a smart, strategic investment with a powerful first-mover advantage.
The real opportunity isn’t in the crowded part of the map. It’s here, hidden in plain sight, in the gap between what is and what could be.
Lebanon is a country with immense tourism potential, boasting rich culture, stunning landscapes, and historical sites. However, not all towns are benefiting equally from this potential. This visualization compares tourism potential to existing tourism infrastructure across Lebanese towns, highlighting areas where growth could be nurtured and where existing facilities are already making an impact.
Lebanon’s tourism sector plays a vital role in its economy, offering opportunities for job creation, cultural exchange, and local development. However, many regions are underperforming in terms of tourism development, failing to fully capitalize on their natural and cultural assets. This post delves into the disparity between tourism potential and existing tourism facilities across Lebanon’s towns.
Using a visualization that compares the number of tourism facilities to their respective tourism potential, we aim to identify regions that could benefit from additional investment and infrastructure development.
What Does the Data Tell Us?
This visualization plots each Lebanese town based on two key factors:
Tourism Potential: A measure of the town’s attractiveness for tourism, considering factors like natural beauty, cultural significance, and historical sites.
Existing Facilities: The number of established tourism-related services such as hotels, restaurants, and attractions available to tourists.
By comparing these two aspects, we gain insights into which towns are thriving and which ones are still underdeveloped in terms of tourism infrastructure.
Key Insights:
Mina: The Top Performer
Mina emerges as the clear leader, with a remarkable tourism potential score of 154, accompanied by 80 existing facilities. This combination makes Mina a strong hub for tourism in Lebanon, ready to attract and serve visitors effectively.
Underserved Towns with High Potential:
Some towns show a significant gap between their tourism potential and the number of available facilities. For instance, Aabeyssi (potential score: 61) and Baalbek (potential score: 52) have good tourism prospects but still lack sufficient infrastructure to meet demand. Investment in these towns could lead to substantial growth in Lebanon’s tourism sector.
The Struggling Towns:
At the other end of the spectrum, towns like Aarsfiq (with a potential score of only 5) show a clear lack of infrastructure and limited tourism prospects. These regions face challenges in attracting visitors without significant investment and development in tourism services.
Towns With Balanced Growth:
Towns such as Fraudis Ech-Chouf and Deir El Ahmar are performing reasonably well, having both a decent number of facilities and moderate tourism potential. These towns can build on their existing foundations to enhance their tourism offerings further.
Conclusion:
The gap between tourism potential and existing facilities across Lebanese towns presents both challenges and opportunities. While some towns are already strong players in the tourism sector, others have untapped potential waiting to be unlocked with the right investments in infrastructure and tourism services.
By addressing these disparities, Lebanon can ensure that more regions share in the benefits of tourism, fostering economic growth and preserving the rich cultural heritage of the country.
Call to Action:
Local municipalities and private investors can use this data to identify key areas where tourism facilities need improvement. With strategic planning, these towns could transform into major tourism destinations in Lebanon, contributing to the country’s broader economic recovery and development.
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.
