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In a session at the Educational Travel Conference in Baltimore, Joseph Karam, President of the US-based consulting firm ECODIT, presented a sustainable tourism project that has proven to be a shining example of sustainability and Geotourism – the Lebanon Mountain Trail.
Stretching 350 kms from Al Qobaiyat in the north to Marjaayoun near the southern border of Lebanon, the LMT Project has continued moving forward over the past year despite a series of troubling events – war, bombings, assassinations and protests in Beirut. The LMT is proof that tourism, especially Geotourism, can be a unifier in a country that has seen its share of disunity and conflict. None of this adds up to an appealing or attractive picture for international visitors at this particular time. However, the Trail is a peaceful world away from Beirut’s rough and tumble political world and is poised to become a world-class tourism destination once the situation returns to normal.
Karam explained that the LMT is a great example of the determination of Lebanon’s diverse mountain communities to conserve and showcase their unique natural and cultural heritage. “People from virtually every religious group in Lebanon,” he said, “are coming together to develop the LMT, which winds itself through communities as diverse as Lebanon herself. The LMT is truly offering a way for the Lebanese to come together to rebuild and develop the country. This is the essence of what National Geographic is emphasizing with its Geotourism program.”
Through environmentally and socially responsible tourism, the LMT is helping to expand economic opportunities in rural areas of Lebanon, and mobilize volunteers, the youth and community groups for a worthwhile and unifying cause. The LMT is all about Geotourism, all about “tourism that sustains or enhances the geographical character of the place being visited – its environment, culture, aesthetics, heritage, and the well-being of its residents.” (Official definition of Geotourism)
ECODIT has finished delineating the trail and is currently test-walking it in collaboration with local NGOs and community organizations, scout groups, tour operators, and volunteers. The International Ecotourism Society (TIES), which is based in Washington, DC, has also been providing technical assistance and support with marketing and promoting the LMT around the world.
The LMT Project is also implementing pilot activities to enhance rural attractions and lodging along the trail, including bed & breakfast facilities, campsites, and scenic overlooks. The Project is helping to renovate two historic town squares, set up visitor information points, co-organize rural events and develop a literary trail in and around Baskinta, the home village of several renowned Lebanese writers, including Mikhael Naimy (The Book of Mirdad) and Amin Maalouf (The Rock of Tanios).In fact, the LMT also traverses Becharre, the hometown of another literary giant, Khalil Gibran (The Prophet).
The LMT project also will publish a pocket guidebook and is launching a website to promote the LMT (www.lebanontrail.org), and guide visitors along the Trail. In addition, the LMT team is helping to provide training to guides and hospitality providers.
To sustain the LMT beyond the two-year span of the project, ECODIT is establishing the Lebanon Mountain Trail Association, whose members will comprise local communities and tour operators. The LMT Association will be responsible for protecting, maintaining and promoting the LMT beyond the two-year life of the LMT project. To promote local ownership and long-term sustainability of the Lebanon Mountain Trail, ECODIT is implementing the project by forging active community participation, and by mobilizing volunteers and private sponsorships (e.g., sponsors can “adopt a section” of the LMT and donate land to the Association for long-term conservation).
The LMT project builds on previous efforts by using parts of and connecting existing trails, and by leveraging on-going local initiatives. The system of trails in the Lebanese mountains was built and conserved through the centuries, and has more recently also been used by tour operators. Several protected areas (declared by the government with considerable local support) are on the path of the Lebanon Mountain Trail, as well as several other natural, historic and cultural initiatives. The LMT project will supplement and connect these individual initiatives to create a destination of national and international appeal.
Core funding for the LMT project was provided by the US Agency for International Development (USAID). ECODIT conceived and designed the LMT project with the assistance of several organizations, and is implementing it under a two-year (2005–2007) Cooperative Agreement with USAID. ECODIT is an environmental/water management and tourism development company based in Arlington, Virginia. Additional information on the Lebanon Mountain Trail Project can be found on www.lebanontrail.org (website under construction).
For further information contact: Scott Wayne, National Geographic Geotourism Ambassador and Principal, SW Associates Sustainable Tourism Consulting, Washington, DC www.sw-associates.net
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