Lebanese Expatriates, the Salvation to the Tourism Sector (Published)
The purpose of this research is to study the role that expatriate tourism can play in Lebanon and to assess its development potential. First, Lebanese tourism industry was evaluated through obtained information from secondary sources (i.e. bank reports, newspapers’ articles, previous studies). Then, a questionnaire was conducted to understand expatriates’opinions. Findings showed that expatriate tourism can constitute a solution for the actual concentration of tourist activities around the Lebanese capital and the other major cities of the country. Findings also revealed that the expatriate tourism has a direct positive impact on other types of tourism (i.e. cultural tourism, religious tourism, health tourism). The study resulted in many recommendations at the strategic and tactical levels that should be taken into consideration in order to develop the expatriate tourism in Lebanon, and thus, to strengthen the relation between the Lebanese expatriates and their homeland through tourism.
Keywords: Expatriate tourism, Lebanese expatriates, Lebanon, Migration