Once a popular tourist destination, Lebanon earned fame as the “Paris of the Middle East” and was once as famous for its incredible cultural heritage as it was for Beirut’s vibrant nightlife and world-famous cuisine.
Today, as the country battles the dangers posed by the border conflict between Hezbollah and Israel, tourism remains one of the few thriving sectors of the Lebanese economy, though it is now driven not by international visitors but by expats returning to their home country.
Lebanon isn’t just a hotbed of excitement for many foreign travelers looking for their next vacation spot, but ecotourism entrepreneurs Joelle Sfeir and Nada Rafael are looking to change that: They aim to foster a travel community for women, even in the midst of regional conflict.
The two have partnered with Wanderful, a global lifestyle brand and community, to launch the travel collective’s first Middle East outpost.
A female tourist tries her hand at picking lavender in the Chouf region. Photo: Robert McKelvey
“We saw our neighbours promoting themselves as leading sustainable businesses and community destinations and realised that their lack of central authority and willingness to target non-traditional outlets was harming us,” Sfeir told The National. “So we decided to lay the initial foundations ourselves.”
“We want to bring together women in the travel and tourism industry to get to know each other, collaborate and achieve our main goal, which is to promote Lebanon and boost its economy,” Rafael said.
With a global community of 45,000+ women in 50+ cities across the US and Europe, Wanderful wants to empower women to travel the world by connecting them with each other – from backpacker travelers and travel influencers to experts and business owners – and to create a more equitable global travel industry by giving a platform to marginalized and underrepresented voices.
The Lebanon location marks Wonderful’s first foray into the Middle East, but the team hopes to further expand in the region.
“Women are traveling more than ever before,” says Wonderful founder and CEO Beth Santos. “We’re making the decisions, we’re spending the money, and yet the world wasn’t made for women. But it could be. That’s why Wonderful exists.”
Sfeir and Rafael have extensive experience in the Lebanese tourism industry. As co-founders and collaborators of TourLeb, they specialize in taking tourists to areas of the country that are often not covered by other travel agencies. They avoid what is considered the typical city trip of Beirut and instead focus on the natural beauty, culture, customs and people of rural Lebanon, supporting smaller and more isolated communities.
Nada Rafael and Joel Sfeir are co-founders of TourLeb and Wanderful Lebanon. Photo: Robert McElreavy
First coming together at the WITS Travel Creator Summit, Wanderful’s tourism industry event aimed at driving innovation, dynamic collaboration and change in the travel industry, Santos, Sfeir and Raphael’s joint project quickly gained momentum.
“The unfortunate events of last October seemed like the perfect time to start building the hub,” says Rafael, “and it wasn’t too hard to convince the Wonderful team to build one here; they were very excited about the idea.”
Sfeir added: “Our main competitors in the region are countries like Turkey, Israel, Jordan and Egypt. Westerners come because of the hiking trails, the good food and the safety of women traveling alone. We want Lebanon to be a repeat destination.”
Unfortunately, despite Lebanon’s vast array of offerings to potential visitors, its unstable political situation has given the country a somewhat unfavourable reputation, a situation that has been exacerbated by recent events such as the COVID-19 pandemic, economic crisis, the Beirut explosion and the Israel-Gaza war. Most players in the local tourism industry cater almost exclusively to the Lebanese diaspora, further limiting the country’s international profile.
Women tourists at the National Museum of Lebanon. EPA
“We have not yet been able to unite in our desire to market Lebanon differently, at least not successfully,” Rafael says. “The main aim of the Wonderful Lebanon Hub is to bring women together to meet, talk, learn from each other and share support. We need to help each other. Anything that helps strengthen this sisterhood.”
For now, the first step in the new hub is to build the local Wanderful community and learn more about the needs of women working in the Lebanese travel industry. From that foundation, the ultimate goal is to bring people together to effectively promote Lebanon to women around the world.
“Once the hub is up and running, we can start organising conferences, meetups, large scale events and trips. The possibilities are endless, but we have to take it one step at a time.”
“This small country has a lot to offer,” Sfeir concluded, “and its potential is immense. You can advertise a trip to Lebanon in many words, but no matter how hard you try, it will never compare to the experience of actually seeing it all.”
Last updated: June 28, 2024, 8:03 AM