Lebanon is one of the smallest countries in the region, but strategically located on the Eastern Mediterranean, it is an important commercial hub for the Middle East. A heterogeneous country, highly divided along both religious and confessional lines, Lebanon has a relatively young population. The Lebanese system of government reflects a combination of the prime ministerial and presidential systems. A lengthy power vacuum was recently filled with the appointment of Michel Aoun as President and Saad Hariri as Prime Minister.
The business environment in Lebanon is relatively restrictive, with the World Bank ranking it 126 out of the 189 countries surveyed in its Doing Business 2017. In terms of Global Competitiveness, the World Economic Forum ranks Lebanon as the 101st most competitive nation in the world (out of 138 economies).
Tourism is a backbone of the Lebanese economy, making considerable contributions to the national GDP. In spite of being one of the fastest growing sectors in Lebanon and one of the largest employers, with an average of 9% annual growth over the last three years, the industry is sorely challenged by safety and security concerns. Adding to this, strained relations with Gulf countries in 2016 triggered a significant drop in Arab visitors. This study is a part of the Development Study and analyses the tourism sector.
1. Country Profile
1.1 History of Lebanon
1.1.1 Early History
1.1.2 The Civil War
1.1.3 Recent Developments
1.1.4 Relationships with neighbouring states
1.2 Geography
1.2.1 Area and Boundaries
1.2.2 Topography
1.2.3 Land Use and Water Resources
1.2.4 Environmental Concerns
1.3 People and Society
1.3.1 Population and National Identity
1.3.2 Demographics
1.3.3 Societal Characteristics
1.4 Government
1.4.1 Framework of Government
1.4.2 Executive Branch
1.4.3 Legislative Branch
1.4.4 Judicial Branch
1.4.5 Political Parties and Leaders
1.5 Main Infrastructure
1.5.1 Transportation
1.5.2 Tele Communications
1.5.3 Energy
1.6 Key Industries and National Resources
2. Tourism
2.1 Tourism in a thematic and historical perspective
2.2 Contribution to GDP
2.3 Contribution to Employment
2.4 Visitor Exports and Investment
2.5 Different Components of Travel and Tourism
2.6 Competitive Landscape
2.6.1 Top tourist operators
2.6.2 Luxurious resorts
2.6.3 Ski resorts
2.7 Challenges and opportunities
3. Doing Business
3.1 Starting a Business
3.2 Dealing with Construction Permits
3.3 Getting Electricity
3.4 Registering Property
3.5 Getting Credit
3.6 Protecting Minority Investors
3.7 Paying Taxes
3.8 Trading across Borders
3.9 Enforcing Contracts
3.10 Resolving Insolvency
3.11 Measuring competitiveness by the World Economic Forum
3.12 Corruption Index
3.13 Public – Private Partnerships