www.gulfnews.com When Mart Maastik's friends suggested a ski vacation in Lebanon, he was hesitant and more than a little sceptical, especially about security.
"Skiing in the Middle East? I'd never heard of that," the 41-year-old Estonian said while standing in full skiing gear at the foothills of the Faraya-Mzaar mountains.
But Lebanon, with six ski resorts and a season that generally runs from December through April, is increasingly drawing not just Arab tourists, but Europeans, too, industry officials say.
Maastik, who is in the real estate business back home, has skied in Austria, Andorra, France "and almost everywhere else," but he feels Lebanon's slopes have a different flavour.
"This is quite exotic for us," he said, saying he was taken with Lebanon's hospitality and its good weather.
He said he was worried about security at first. "But I decided to forget about politics and come anyway." Security is a question for many visitors.
Business at the area's biggest hotel, the InterContinental Mountain Resort & Spa, plunged more than 30 per cent in 2005 because of political instability in Lebanon, general manager Robert Zogbi said.
Many foreigners come to Lebanon for the cheaper prices and relaxed atmosphere. The weather, less stormy and more sunny during the skiing season than at many European resorts, is also an attraction, as is the mountains' nearness to the coast and Beirut.
"You can ski in the morning and go fishing or shopping or sightseeing in the afternoon. It's a very unique advantage," Zogbi said. |