Diaspora Tourism in Lebanon: A Strategy to Maintain Tourism Efficiency during Crises (Published)
Tourism constitutes a major activity in the Lebanese economic system. Being by its nature a fragile sector, tourism is severely affected each time Lebanon is facing a crisis. The last one was a multidimensional crisis that derived from the geopolitical turnarounds in the Middle East region, particularly the war in Syria. Yet, tourist arrivals to Lebanon have not dip as expected, on the contrary they are increasing steadily. This is due to the surge of diaspora tourism where reconnection with ancestral homelands and solidarity with their nationals prevails over other considerations. This article studies the rise of diaspora tourism in Lebanon during the period 2014 – 2017. It relies on the survey method to set a profile for Lebanese diaspora tourists and highlight the importance of resorting to diaspora tourism during crisis.
Keywords: Diaspora Tourism, Homeland., Lebanon, crises, descendants