In a bid to revive Lebanon's tourism sector, the Tourism Ministry recently hosted a retro-themed event at Beirut’s St. Georges Hotel. Fireworks illuminated the night sky above the Mediterranean Sea, while classic hits from the 1960s and 70s played in the background. The event aimed to evoke the "golden era" before the civil war of 1975, when Lebanon was a prime destination for wealthy tourists from the Gulf, drawn to its beaches, mountains, and vibrant nightlife. The event hopes to promote the upcoming summer season.
In the decade after the war, tourists from Gulf countries – and crucially, Saudi Arabia – came back, and so did Lebanon’s economy. But by the early 2000s, as the Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah gained power, Lebanon's relations with Gulf countries began to sour. Tourism gradually dried up, starving its economy of billions of dollars in annual spending.
