Nizar HaniChristian Akhrass

Thursday, 29 March 2012

Sustainable Tourism for South Lebanon

الجبل درب اللبناني

About the LMT

LMT profile:• Trail distance 440 km• Number of trail sections 26• Distance per section 10-24 km• Elevation profile 600-2,000 m• Composition: 50% foot paths,

40% dirt roads, and 10% paved)

The LMT crosses:• 75 towns and villages• 1 World Heritage Site• 2 Biosphere Reserves• 3 Protected Areas

About the LMT Association

• Lebanese Non-Governmental Organization• Established in October 2007• Elected Board serving a 2-year term• 150 members• Dedicated office in Baabda, Lebanon • LMT website (www.lebanontrail.org) • Dedicated bank account (Bank Audi)

The Baskinta Literary Trail: a theme trail on the LMT• Showcases the

literary heritage of the region of Baskinta

• Stretches 24-km at the foothill of Mt Sannine

• Fully sign-posted with owner consent

• Four trained local guides provide full interpretation

LMT Strategic Goals

1)Local / rural development2)Corridor protection 3) Education and volunteerism 4) Promotion and marketing

The LMT offers new opportunities for conservation• Safeguards old and historic trails • Connects trails to increase

recreational value and attract more visitors

• Encourages environmental education (trail to every classroom program/ATC)

• Promotes responsible-, low-impact tourism incl. guesthouse accommodation

LMT and accommodation

• Refurbished 11 houses so far to serve as local guesthouses for hikers (green design)

• Trained local guesthouse owners on hospitality services and practices

• Lobbied the Ministry of Tourism since 2007 to formalize guesthouses (Decree 6298/2011)

Mtain Guesthouse

Baskinta Guesthouse

Qemmamine Guesthouse

LMT and local guides

• Trained 50 local guides (boys and girls) to become (self-employed) local guides

• Difficulties include pricing, dropouts, trail interpretation and language skills

• Recognition by the Ministry of Tourism is still absent (perceived competition from formal “tourism guides”)

LMT and hikers

• Generally, hikers in Lebanon (Lebanese and foreigners) have an affinity to nature

• Some regular hikers like to report environmental crimes and abuses (hunting, small fires, waste debris, etc.) to local authorities –green reporters

• Hikers are more likely to detect abuses than local / government authorities!

Annual LMT Thru-Walk (April 2009, 2010, 2011) 2012 strats April 1st• 30-day journey • Involving a dozen in nationalities• 300 visitor-nights in local guesthouses• Open talks with municipalities• Extensive media coverage

– The National Top 10 eco-destinations – Blog on www.trekkinglebanon.com– Video on time.com– Article in AT Journeys – July-August ’09– Article in The National (Abu Dhabi)– Dozens of features in radio and TV programs

The clock is ticking…

The LMT faces the following threats:

• New road construction• Haphazard building construction • Illegal quarrying• Illegal waste dumping • Forest fires and excessive logging

! Historic trails are disappearing

Contact Us

www.lebanontrail.org

Tel:+961 5 955 302 or 3