
Caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati. (Credit: AFP)
BEIRUT — Caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati on Monday assigned a series of measures to several ministries for the improvement of the upcoming summer tourist season. Lebanon is expected to receive hundreds of thousands of tourists who could inject liquidity into the Lebanese market.
The measures Mikati assigned include preparing the necessary maintenance work and the boarding and arrival rooms for the season at Lebanon's airport.
The measures also include regulating the trolley services at the airport as well as the fares of cabs and buses.
Mikati also wants to ensure that all beach resorts and summer touristic spots have licenses and that regular hygiene and safety controls are implemented.
The decision did not mention regulating the prices of these resorts.
Lebanon expects a big summer tourist season this year: after experiencing tensions with the Gulf countries in previous years, things have smoothed out and the security situation in the country has been relatively stable.
Last month, a Saudi citizen was kidnapped but soon was released by security forces. Following the kidnapping, Bukhari said that the security efforts made "show that the Lebanese authorities are keen to ensure the safety of tourists."
Lebanon has historically been known for its hospitality sector and was once a hub for tourists from the region, and especially from the Gulf. Aditionally, hundreds of thousands of Lebanese expats visit during the summer and holiday seasons.
The measures Mikati assigned include preparing the necessary maintenance work and the boarding and arrival...